How many ways can an album go wrong? Well how about in every way. Spooks' Faster Than You Know runs into difficulties after about three songs. Nothing picks up, nothing unexpected happens, and the CD begs to be ejected a.s.a.p.

These Philadelphians were meant to be the next Fugees, and their first album garnered suitable praise. But The Fugees had a dirty edge to their sound which is entirely missing on this over-produced second album from Ming Xia and the MCs. In a world where 50 Cent and The Neptunes rule, the Spooks sound depressingly '90s. For example - the raps are way too far back in the mix.

There are no really memorable hooks on this album. The fabulous mystery of the vocal hook on their first massive hit single Things I've Seen is nowhere repeated on Faster Than you Know. Misery is obviously trying to repeat the effect, but fails totally.

Coming from the opposite end, Gotta Make A Hit is a laugh, but doesn't get near giving a significant boost to the "buy-this-album" index. The meat of albums is in the songs, not the (five) skits found here. And on that matter - 20 tracks is just too much. It makes the album seem more mediocre than it actually is.

Hell No comes closest to providing some satisfaction. Its organ riff, rhythms and flow are great. If the Spooks have any sense they'll release this as a second single. Crazy is also a high point. But it gives the impression of a personality-to-fit-the-track attitude amongst the MCs. They're getting right down dirty and nasty on this, but are far too well behaved elsewhere. The album attitude doesn't gel.

It On It is another nice piece, mainly because the rapping is minimised. The rap lyrics throughout the album are really uninteresting. Spooks have said that they made a decision in this album to try and "carry a message". This was clearly a mistake.

Sad to say that the Spooks are becoming as ephemeral as their name-sakes. The album is - as a whole - claustrophobic, unconvincing, overblown, and missing an edge. The potential brilliance of the Spooks is clear in a few key tracks and in elements of some other pieces. But there is so much filler here that this release is a missed opportunity.

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Mercury Prize 2009 nominees