Relax made a striking debut in 2002 with the live CD Live @ Panama. The Haarlem group around the rapper Llewy Is Sel wanted to make it clear that Relax was not a standard hip-hop formation, but a real band, with 'real' musicians. They succeeded well, and soon Relax grew into a popular live act. Pirates Among Puppets is the follow-up to the group's first studio album, Odeur De Clochard from 2005.
Once again Relax presents a very varied sound. The comparison with OutKast is often evident (especially in opener Riot), but it is mainly the amount of styles that are experimented with that makes Pirates Among Puppets a nice album: from country to jazz and reggae. Special guest is Jamie Cullum, who takes part in the song Bittersweet. (IV)more
