One of the many fine singles released by
Cuba before changing their name to Air Cuba for the debut album Leap of Faith, "Cross the Line" itself is a great, dark slam of a number with guest vocals in a combination rap/sing mode from one Mau. The band's sense of dynamics and build is excellent, and while the brass in particular calls to mind
Primal Scream, the duo finds a good balance between dance and rock that works very well. Another track that eventually ended up on Leap of Faith appears as well -"Foxy's Den," a nice mix of everything from bluesy acoustic guitar to drum and bass clatter. The one otherwise unavailable cut is "Raise the Alarm," which samples Peter Finch's legendary rant as Howard Beale from the film Network, speeds it up, and plays around with both quick jungle drum slams and a heavy-duty, slow crunch with dub underpinnings. ~ Ned Raggett