I am not a fan of The Cat Empire. This album, while full of good tidbits of quality musicality, underwhelms as a whole. Let us get into why.
First off, Vocals. I cannot get into the vocals. The voice of the lead singer does not do anything for me, and I do not really feel that it does anything for the music either. On top of that, the vocal melodies are not as well formed musically as is everything else.
The everything else I am referring to are the overly complex orchestrations of The Cat Empire's music. Musically it appears that this band has some great talent. However, the complexity of the music does not really seem to serve a purpose. The way the singer delivers the lyrics, and what the lyrics seem to say, does not do justice to the songs. I hear nothing smart to balance the jamming mess of the accompaniment.
Fun, dancey, this stuff is party music. However, I feel somehow that I am being let down by the performance on the record. I bet that live these guys are amazing, and then my whole view of the record might be changed. But, I did see them perform on Leno, and I was not impressed. So, seemingly good musical ability, mediocre singer, unimpressive lyrics and vocal melodies, overly complex orchestration and jams... I prefer simple fun over complex fun, so the Cat Empire has yet to impress me. Fans of Phish, Ozomatli, maybe the Dead, I could see liking this, though they do not seem as smart or as precise as the aformentioned groups. Upbeat - yes, fun - sure, impressive - no. There you have it.