Addicted

Following an excellent outing with Flying Colours, Australian hip-hoppers Bliss N Eso took the opportunity on Running on Air to both expand to new musical territory and regress to more formulaic material. In some places (such as "Coastal Kids" and "Flying Through the City") they work strongly on their flow, keeping a constant barrage of lyricism that both provides some decent lyrical content and makes full use of the longer vowels of an Australian accent. In other tracks (such as "People Up on It" with Xzibit) they revert to more formulaic rhythms and simplistic lyrics (mostly based around the sex, drugs, and rock & roll lifestyle). Taken as a whole, Running on Air is up and down as a result: when they're on their own and exploring, Bliss N Eso can make some outstanding music; when they're relying on outsiders for help or inspiration, they tend to get lazy and simply play along. Fans shouldn't avoid this one, but newcomers should look for Flying Colours first. ~ Adam Greenberg