Additional personnel: Chris Rock.

Producers: Tchad Blake, Soul Coughing, Optical, Pat Dillet.

Engineers: Tchad Blake, Optical, Pat Dillet, Mark De Gli Antoni.

Recorded at Sunset Sound Factory and Magic Hotel, Hollywood, California; The Looking Glass Studios, New York, New York.

Audio Mixers: Optical; Patrick Dillett; Tchad Blake.

Recording information: Looking Glass Studios, NY, NY; Sunset Sound Factory, Hollywoord, CA.

Editor: Mark De Gli Antoni.

Illustrator: Jim Woodring.

One approaches this album with trepidation. Can they really do it again? Can the band that single-handedly defined postmodern white-boy funk poetry in 1994 with Ruby Vroom and dodged the sophomore slump with deceptive ease two years later come up with something just as good that isn't simply rehash? The answer is a qualified yes, and they do it by leaving the skeleton -- bare-bones funky drums, big string bass, scratchy guitar -- mostly the same, while fleshing out the vocals a bit and yoking the pointillistic samples to the wagon of the song, at least part of the time. Thus, on "Circles," the album's first single, you have overdubbed harmonies (!) and a bleeping synth that supports the chorus rhythmically. And you could actually sing along with "Blame." That's not to say that this stuff is exactly tuneful -- poetry and groove are still the whole point. But it's nice to hear M. Doughty hauling off and singing every so often. Nothing here packs quite the same revelatory wallop as "Blue-Eyed Devil" or "Casiotone Nation" did, but then, the revelation has already been received. That doesn't make it any less valuable. Or any less funky. ~ Rick Anderson

EL OSO is a combination of guitar rock, funky drumming and innovative lyrics. Throughout, Soul Coughing places superb pop melodies on top of cutting-edge rhythm tracks. "Circles" has plenty of what has made the group a fan favorite. Catchy guitar hooks and cool drumbeats make the mid-tempo toe-tapper stick in your head after only one listen.

Although the album is sprinkled with bright pop textures at times, the majority of EL OSO is a bit dark, though interesting. Tracks like "St. Louise Is Listening," "$300" and "Monster Man" show the band's diversity as songwriters and producers, continually hitting the mark they aim for. "Houston" boasts an analog synthesizer melody reminiscent of Gary Numan's "Cars." Other tracks that stand out on this strong release are "Rolling," "Misinformed" and "The Incumbent."