DJ Cam, like a lot of European underground artists and deejays, jumped in on the trip-hop craze that Massive Attack helped popularize in the early '90s and managed to give his own spin on the creative genre.  By the time of The Loa Project, Volume 2 (2000), he'd already offered several albums worth of his interesting blend of hip-hop and jazz.  On this album, there are no tracks featuring emcees like Jeru the Damaja rocking the microphone, but sampling and hip-hop beats are still ever-present, along with numerous well-placed melodic jazz excerpts.

"Millenium" (sic) is the work that most clearly represents the odd inspiration behind the album (voodoo, of all things - loa are spirit intermediaries in voodoo) with its tribal drums and interpolations of bizarre howling.  I'm not a fan of this kind of thing, but a two-note saxophone solo at the two-minute mark, along with some more traditionally loungey and trip-hop beats, make at least parts of it worth hearing.

Easier on the ears is "Juliette," a track Cam dedicated to his wife according to the liner notes.  Built around a wonderfully elegant jazz piano melody, "Juliette" is an intricate number with a lot of slow-to-fast (and vice versa) tempo changes that never sound too forced or unwieldy.  Lest it sound a little too distant and abstract, a female voice breaks in on occasion, soulfully belting out the phrase "so, so nice."  And she is right - it's very nice.

"Mental Invasion" is one of the best moments on The Loa Project, Volume 2, showcasing just how well Cam can mix hip-hop and jazz.  The scratches and samples (including the rap lyric "yo, my creation causes mental invasion") figure in seamlessly with a smooth Fender Rhodes break that's been lodged in my head for about a week.  If you don't like this, chances are you don't like much of any trip-hop at all.

The reggae-infused "Ganja Man" is unfortunately pretty forgettable.  At first, it promises to be somewhat interesting, and sporadic sounds of a gun threaten to raise the tension, but there isn't enough variety to keep this from sounding like mostly background filler.

"Ghetto Love" fares a little better, but is inconsistent.  The synthesizer sounds and strings sound too heavy and overly dramatic, and the fact that they serve as the basis work against the piece.  However, the breaks are worth tuning into: the trumpet and piano sections in particular stand out, especially the piano break, which is jazzy introspection at its finest.

The most repetitious work on the collection is "Candy Man."  I have a love/hate relationship with repetition, as some of my longtime readers might know, and in the case of "Candy Man," the tilt is more toward the love side.  The movie dialogue samples and eerie piano backdrop come together with thick beats to create a really weird atmosphere that grabs attention quickly, and a mysterious flute solo in the latter half only adds to the intrigue.

"Voodoo Jazz" is a masterpiece that ranks up there with Cam's "Mad Blunted Jazz" and "Innervisions."  The rhythms are so angular and complex that I had to ask a music theory friend of mine what the time signature was; he said that it's 4/4, but that he couldn't figure it out until several measures in, praising the song for its funkiness.  If you want to give your mind an exciting and exhilarating workout that is hard to describe in words, download "Voodoo Jazz" for sure!

It's too bad that "Voodoo Jazz" is followed by "Cycle Interlude," which is a couple minutes of random ambient gypsy noise that's all too easy to tune out at this point in the album.  It's the equivalent of a really boring and pointless skit following a genius multisyllabic rap.

The remainder of The Loa Project, Volume 2 ranges from solid to outstanding.  "DJ Cam Sound System" is a decent collection of primarily old school beats, the brief "Waiting for Franck Black" recalls some of the best of Mad Blunted Jazz era Cam, "You Do Something to Me" is buttery R&B with singer China giving a fair performance, and "Angel Heart" is the other arguably flawless creation after "Voodoo Jazz," revealing a transcendent type of beauty where soft strings, a splendid keyboard melody, and rolling rhythms create a picture of ocean waves and authentic romance.  It's too bad "Angel Heart" clocks in at just under three minutes, because something of this caliber couldn't be penalized if it lasted a few more minutes.

If you like great trip-hop, and if you like any of Cam's albums already, don't pass up The Loa Project, Volume 2.  It's up there with the best in the style.  At the very least, download "Voodoo Jazz" and "Angel Heart."  If those aren't enough to compel you, then Cam probably isn't for you, in which case I will be at a loss to understand your taste!

Recommended: Yes