In James Brown's autobiography he talks about how Little Richard became so infuriated watching Brown's stage act that he angrily accused Soul Brother Number One of "using tricks to get over." Now, Little Richard was probably the last person to accuse James Brown of faking authenticity. But the Getaway People better get used to it.

On their debut, these kids try to mix the Dust Brothers' lo-fi electronic sound with a shot of soul. The resulting mish- mash that occurs totters on the edge of breaking out, but ultimately reveals itself as a homogenization of original styles we've heard before. In other words, someone's already done it better.

It sounds like these guys just got their hands on a drum machine for the first time ever, as every track bumps along at the same loping pace, nor does the bassline seem to change throughout the entire disc. Occasionally the guys incorporate a surprising slide whistle that provides a new sound, but is the exception rather than the rule. There's also the requisite scratching, the muddy samples, the affected vocals, yadda yadda yadda...

The first single, "She Gave Me Love," is the most credible, with the vocalist's verse delivery melting into the catchy chorus, spread thickly over a "Son of a Preacher Man" guitar and keyboard part. But tracks like "Limo" and "Does My Colour Scare You" sounds lifted straight from Jamiroquai's catalog. The big problem with the Getaway People's escape plan is that, in their zeal to combine the old and the new, they're far too inclusive. Too often the songs substitute sound overload for substance, and it doesn't work. If they'd rely more on musicianship and less on digital trickery, they could potentially garner a bit of a following rather than being forgotten as one- hit wonders of the late 1990s.

-Lang Whitaker