Hitman Sammy Sam's debut album,
The Step Daddy, is most notable for its runaway novelty hit, "Step Daddy." The humorous dance/rap interpolation of "Double Dutch Bus" is built largely on a bouncy, distinctly Southern beat, and back-and-forth vocals about how stepfathers often get no love (a kid's voice chants, "you ain't my daddy!," while
Sammy Sam responds, "shut up!," and so forth). It's a very improbable hit, but it's just so damned fun-spirited that it's hard to resist, especially with its dance/rap overtones ("do the step daddy!,"
Sammy Sam chants over and over). The rest of the album is essentially run-of-the-mill Dirty South with a few occasional standouts like "It's Summertime," but that's okay because most likely you'll be playing the title track and its mom-featuring remix over and over anyhow. [The clean version edits moments of profanity.] ~ Jason Birchmeier