M People spent a considerable amount of time on
Fresco, the group's fourth album, crafting a record that would break them out of the Europop straitjacket and establish them as an international dance-pop act. In other words,
Fresco is less a club album than it is a radio record, filled with carefully constructed songs with strong rhythms, sturdy hooks, and pop-soul melodies. Too bad that much of the record simply isn't so memorable. Sure; there are several potential singles with naggingly catchy melodies, and the entire production is appealingly glossy and accessible; but the songs simply aren't there and neither is the charming, unashamed brashness of their early work. A few songs -- the garage/techno of "Angel St.," the catchy house of "Fantasy Island," and the sweeping, orchestrated pop of "Just for You" -- make the album worthwhile, but on the whole,
Fresco is a distressing step backward for a group that had yet to make a false move. [An import version was also released.] ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine