June 13, 2001 16:08: Spooks are a group that combine the usual blend of R'n'B and Hip-Hop in an unusual way.

In a genre where you should find large men in gold chains boasting about their sexual prowess, you'll find Spooks lurking at the back, being spooky.

Lead Vocalist Ming Xia welcomes us "to the Karma Hotel, looks like heaven, could be hell" and the track continues on its theme that the world we walk is fraught with

supernatural dangers.

Like the Beach Boys Hotel California (arguably the song's spiritual predecessor) the entire thing can be taken as a metaphor "Beware the men in sharp suits, they'll suck you dry", which would be a pity, as the album the song is taken from is a masterwork of horror story-telling.

On first listen, I thought the song was about the everyday nastiness in our lives, but after my second or third time, I realised it's actually about real monsters disguised as people, which was nicely creepy.

Luckily for us, the CD single comes packaged with a rather excellently produced music video, which is reminiscent of the film "Devil's Advocate" and shows the band in full urban horror splendour.

Spooks will never be everyone's cup of tea, but if you've grown tired of the usual Hip-Hop silliness or you want your scary music from people who don't wear way too much leather and face paint, then give this single a listen.