Two Shoes

Background

Australian ska-jazz group, The Cat Empire, released their second album, Two Shoes, on 19 April 2005. It was recorded in Havana, Cuba, at Egrem Studios, late in the previous year, with production by The Cat Empire, Felix Riebl (percussion and vocals) and United Kingdom-based producer, Jerry Boys. It débuted at the top of the ARIA Albums Chart and is the band's first number 1 album, the second being Rising With The Sun. The tracks were more Latin in flavour, with a higher proportion written by Harry James Angus (trumpet and vocals) than on their self-titled first album. The Australian version contains a hidden track, called "1001", which is coupled with the track, "The Night That Never End". Some later versions included songs that appeared on their debut album. The lead single, "Sly", was issued ahead of the album on 28 March, which reached the top 30. It appeared on EA Sports' FIFA 08 soundtrack. "The Car Song", written by Angus, was released as the second single in July, and peaked in the top 50.

Reception

Allmusic's Jeff Tamarkin wrote "Skipping merrily from alt-rock crunch to hip-hop beats, landing on reggae/ska, Latin jazz, and points in between, Two Shoes is clever and brainy, danceable and absorbing".

Track listing

Australian version:

1. "Sly" – 3:47
2. "In My Pocket" – 5:04
3. "Lullaby" – 5:35
4. "The Car Song" – 4:19
5. "Two Shoes" – 5:13
6. "Miserere" – 6:39
7. "Sol Y Sombra" – 6:02
8. "Party Started" – 3:46
9. "Protons, Neutrons, Electrons" – 4:44
10. "Saltwater" – 4:06
11. "The Night That Never End" – 9:35 (hidden track "1001", begins at 5:35).

Bonus DVD

1. Documentary - "Estudio 101: The Making of Two Shoes"
2. Live at The Forum - "Lullaby" and "The Car Song"
3. Music Videos - "Sly", "The Car Song" and "Two Shoes"
4. The Making of "Two Shoes" Music Video.

Indica Records special edition:

Disc 1

1. "Sly"
2. "In My Pocket"
3. "Lullaby"
4. "The Car Song"
5. "Two Shoes"
6. "The Chariot" (Havana version)
7. "Sol y Sombra"
8. "Party Started"
9. "Protons, Neutrons, Electrons"
10. "Hello"
11. "How to Explain?"
12. "The Lost Song"
13. "Days Like These"
14. "The Rhythm"
15. "The Wine Song"

Disc 2 - DVD

1. Live at The Forum - "Lullaby" and "The Car Song"
2. Woodford Folk Festival - "Sly" and "How to Explain?"
3. From On the Attack - "The Lost Song", "The Rhythm", and DVD 'encore' videos - "Dancers" and "L'hotel de Californie".
4. Music videos - "Hello", "The Chariot", "The Car Song" and "Two Shoes".

Versions

The album was also released under Indica Records in 2006. In 2007, a North American version was released for the US market through Velour Recordings. This variety added the track "The Chariot (Havana Version)", and the removed "Miserere" and the hidden track "1001". Also in 2007, Two Shoes, was issued in some European countries by Universal Music Group. It added "How to Explain?", "Hello", "The Lost Song", "Days Like These", "The Rhythm" as the first 5 tracks of the album, removed "Miserere" (with "The Chariot" (Havana version) in its place), "Saltwater", "The Night That Never End" and "1001", and finally added "The Wine Song" as the last track.