Hot Sauce Committee Pt.2! The 8th studio album from Beastie Boys - which actually contains songs that were supposed to be on Pt.1 - displays the iconic New York trio in all its animated pass-the-mic glory, with rhymes and beats that conjure the group's vintage sounds without coming across outdated or irrelevant. The funky keyboard-driven "Make Some Noise" is an instant party classic, and "Too Many Rappers" features Nasty Nas trading verses with Mike D, MCA, Ad-Rock; the four come together like "peanut butter and jelly sandwiches." "Don't Play No Game That I Can't Win" with Santigold is a breezy reggae-flavored cut, and the band pays tribute to its punk days (as well as the Six Million Dollar Man, obviously) with "Lee Majors Come Again". All the smack talking on the hook-less "Nonstop Disco Powerpack" is just awesome, and "Crazy Ass Shit," which is characterized by the child chorus hook, is another standout track. Most of the vocals the album are processed with a mixture of distortion, echo, and creative EQ-ing (courtesy of Phillippe Zdar), resulting in a raw, snarl-y product, and combined with the fact that the Beasties "sound hungrier than most musicians currently posting their first internet demos," Hot Sauce is exactly what the fans have been waiting for. This is the official 2017 double LP reissue, complete with gatefold jacket and printed inserts! Highly Recommended.

• gatefold jacket
• printed inner sleeves
• music label: UMe 2017

reviewed by nakinboots 01/2018