spectre78's Full Review: Fragments of Freedom by Morcheeba
Morcheeba has managed to break a lot of new ground with their latest album, and sound great doing it despite the loss of DJ Swamp to the underground hip-hop circuit.
This album is the most eclectic piece of work I have ever heard, with classic trip-hop tracks like "The World Looking In" to uptempo West Coast hip-hop songs and disco anthems. This album also benefits from a number of celebrity cameos, including classic rappers Biz Markie and Bahamadia. Numerous guest DJs also make appearances, including DJ Crossphader.
The album opens with a good downtempo trip-hop track infused with twangy, country-style guitars reminiscent of some earlier Sneaker Pimps tunes. It then moves into three hip-hop tracks with vocals by Mr. Complex, Biz Markie and Bahamadia. The excellent production, combined with both front and back-up vocals by Skye make all of these tracks great to listen and dance to. None of them would seem at all out of place at a hip-hop party.
However, hip-hop is not so large a jump from trip-hop as is disco, and Morcheeba goes all-out disco with the tenth track on the album. It opens with a classic violin intro and then moves straight into a disco tune complete with melodic vocals by Skye and funky guitars. This song really sounds more like Blondie than Morcheeba. I almost had to look at the CD jacket to make sure they weren't sampling "Rapture." Despite the apparent cheese factor, this song is actually very well done and any closet funk-lover would be proud to own this one.
This album has something for just about everyone, and the best part of this project is that each song is totally different from the last, and better. Definitely buy this one!
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