Three years on from its The Fat of the Land LP, there was hardly a word from the Prodigy camp, save for the release of mastermind Liam Howlett's mix extravaganza, The Dirtchamber Sessions. Under increasing speculation about the band's status, or lack thereof, Leeroy Thornhill launched his own Flightcrank project with the four-track Twisted EP. Those with their ears to the U.K. dance underground were already aware of Thornhill's work under alter egos Lowrise and Longman. In addition to a pair of his own white-label-only releases and select DJ dates, Thornhill got his hands on tracks by Moby, Shades of Rhythm, and Dr. Dooom (aka Kool Keith). As a direct result of his work on the latter's "Leave Me Alone," Thornhill was awarded a contract with London's Copasetik Recordings. The singer/producer/DJ's full-length debut, Beyond All Reasonable Doubt, followed. Anyone expecting Thornhill's own interpretation of Prodigy's edgy techno rhythms was in for a surprise. Album opener "Get Real" is a modest, no-frills, acoustic love song. "You took me higher than I've ever been before," he sings, "and then left me standing at that door." The 14 tracks that follow, however, present Thornhill as a member of the new breed of British singer/songwriter: an artist just as likely to employ turntables and breakbeats as acoustic guitars and string arrangements. While Thornhill had yet to equal Howlett as a beat technician, his refusal to rely on formulas combined with the sheer sonic variety he conjures from his Essex studio made Beyond All Reasonable Doubt a promising debut. ~ Nathan Bush