Perhaps wishing to move from progressive-house flagwavers
to trip-hop super-producers on a par with Massive Attack, Leftfield returned
after almost five years of silence with a set of blunted trip-hop jams, stoned
to say the least -- though glimmers of their house background do show through.
Aside from a few uptempo stormers ("Double Flash,"
"Swords") reminiscent of a slightly less frenetic Jeff Mills, house
fans looking for anthems worthy of "Not Forgotten" might be
disappointed. The grooves on Rhythm and Stealth are a bit too languid and the
productions a bit too intricate for dancefloor consumption. The one track that
might make fans yearn for the heady days of 1993, "El Cid," begins
with the ephemeral synth for which Leftfield has been known, but soon moves
into breakbeat territory. Hip-hop pioneer Afrika Bambaataa makes an appearance
on the excellent "Afrika Shox," taking the mic on a brutal electro
throwdown. As Rhythm and Stealth shows time and time again, it's definitely not
1993 anymore, and Leftfield has moved on with a grace and mastery of production
seldom seen in the dance world.