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Big Calm  >>

Blame Tricky and Portishead. They started this whole Bristol sound thing, with sleepy techno beats overshadowed by the chirrupy vocals of some slumberland chanteuse. And--just when you think the approach has lost all its steam, all its relevance--along comes a new outfit to make the music a few degrees sleepier, the singing a tad more dreamy. And singers don't come any dreamier than Skye Edwards, whose lissome trill infuses every track on this sophomore outing with a tranquil ennui. You don't jump around to Morcheeba numbers like "The Sea." You sit back and let them creep up on you, as steady as the tides. --Tom Lanham

Dive Deep  >>

In a world choked with sound, it's difficult to find any music that truly lingers and resonates with the listener. Morhceeba are a fountain of such music. "Dive Deep" is an organic compilation of tracks written in the studio with several collaborating guest vocalists. The result reflects the musical diversity, which has made Morcheeba's prior works such a success.

Who Can You Trust?  >>

Charango  >>

Since bursting onto the charts and into national consciousness with 1998's sophomore album, Big Calm, Morcheeba have carved a niche as purveyors of evocative nuevo-lounge and dreamy ambience. While 2000's Fragments of Freedom saw the South Londoners' first tentative step out of the "coffee table" pigeonhole, Charango is the sound of them relaxing, infusing influences such as hip-hop, country, and cinematic scores into a joyous blend of humor, romance, and soothing melancholy. Vintage moments like the lush lethargy of "Slow Down" and the string-laden single "Otherwise" share space with interesting collaborations. Lambchop frontman Kurt Wagner lends his achingly emotive vocal to "What New York Couples Fight About," while Slick Rick's dulcet tones flow through "Women Lose Weight," a tongue-in-cheek tale of a husband driven to murder by his overweight wife. Adventurous and inspired yet dripping with Morcheeba's trademark languid rhythms and tranquil melodies, Charango is at the very least a return to form and arguably their best work to date. --Christopher Barrett

The Antidote  >>

Since delivering their 1993 mini-opus Big Calm, second-generation trip-hop outfit Morcheeba have taken their hybrid blues/country/hip-hop/soul sound to an increasingly wider audience. Their music has suffered as a consequence, the sass and strut of the early days gradually suffocated by tired production clichés and vapid, big-name collabs (see Charango). The Antidote has none of that. It's a stonking return to form, as the band trade in their sultry singer Skye Edwards for the feistier, grittier Daisy Martey (ex-Noonday Underground), enlist experimental musician Rob Mullinder and create a massive, orotund and ear-catching psychedelic sound by recording everything live. The songs here are by far the best they've made in a decade, with catchy hooks and thoughtful lyricism matching the bright, eager production sound. The awe-inspiring confidence and thinly disguised joie de vivre that kickstarts the album lasts most of the way through too, marking the long-awaited final stage in the band's transmogrification from introspective dance act to kick-ass stadium rock band. --Paul Sullivan

Back to Mine  >>

Morcheeba's contribution to the always interesting Back to Mine series oozes smooth sensuality, fit for either candlelit sofa canoodles with a friend or solo escapes with a pair of headphones. Main Morcheeban Paul Godfrey is behind the 15-track collection, and his journey goes everywhere from Taj Mahal's '70s blues funk on "Chevrolet" to delicious trip-hop on Small World's "Dual Tone," with forays into hip-hop (Missing Linx's "What It Is") and pure smooth soul (Plus's "Put Everything Together") along the way. Godfrey's selections never appear pretentious, despite their coffeehouse eclecticism. His own group contributes the record's finest moment, a brooding 3 a.m. trip-hop stroll through New York's Lower East Side titled "On the Rhodes Again". All in all, this disc is a sure-fire winner for those who spend their time in the Top 40 but want to be a little cooler than the mainstream normally allows. --Steffan Chirazi

The Platinum Collection  >>

14 track Platinum Collection consists of the best from the Warner/Elektra music archives, including 'World Looking In', 'Shoulder Holster' and 'Fragments Of Freedom'. The most groove-oriented act in the mid-'90s female-fronted electronica crowd, Morcheeba relies on the sweet, fluid vocals of Skye Edwards and a laid-back mix of fusion, funk, and blues produced by brothers Paul and Ross Godfrey, on beats/scratches and guitar/keyboards, respectively. 2005.

Fragments of Freedom  >>

Morcheeba were once the dreamiest bass-heavy, slow funk-oriented group in all of trip-hopdom, as anyone who's spent time with their 1998 sophomore album, Big Calm, will attest. Fragments of Freedom begins interestingly enough, with the languorous, slide guitar-enhanced track "World Looking In." But things go awry from there; the lyrics are so daft and pale, and the R&B-lite arrangements so limp, that the listener keeps waiting for the group to bust out laughing, then introduce the real music. "Let It Go," with its faux-inspirational chorus and tepid keyboard runs, sounds like the Euro-club music they might play at Epcot Center. By the time Biz Markie shows up with a short, sweet track of old-school boasting halfway through, it's far too late to save this CD. Freedom sounds like a misdirected attempt to reach a larger audience; the result is as appealing as cotton candy that's been dipped in maple syrup, covered with vanilla frosting, and then dropped in the sand. Recommended only as a clear example of how not to make interesting dance-pop with wide appeal. --Mike McGonigal

Works  >>

2007 three CD anthology featuring the absolute best singles, album tracks and even a few rarities, all from the WEA archives. This triple disc set from the UK trio contains 47 tracks including 'Part Of The Process', 'Trigger Hippie', 'World Looking In' and 'Coming Down Gently' plus guest appearances from Mr. Complex, Biz Markie, Bahamadia, Pacewon, Kurt Wagner and Slick Rick. Warner.