Baha Men
2 Zero 0-0
Mercury
OK, it would be tough to touch “Who Let the Dogs Out” in terms of sheer catchiness and fun groove factor, even if it is driving us all crazy with its undeniable ubiquity by now. Still, this is a fun record, from the “ooka-chukka” backing vox on the Baja Men’s cover of Blue Swede’s “Hooked On a Feeling” to the opening for “You All Dat,” which blends the rhythm to War’s “Low Rider” with the vocal intro to (of all things) “The Lion Sleeps Tonight,” before morphing into an updated, groovier version of something similar to Eric Burdon’s “Spill The Wine.” (By weird coincidence, The Offspring also rip both “Hooked On a Feeling” and “Low Rider” on their latest album; hmm, can one be sued for copying someone else’s plagiarisms?)
This stuff isn’t gonna change the world or help “fight the power” or anything, but that’s not what you buy a Baha Men record for. This is for a big summer pool party, or when you just want to feel like you’re at one.