Rating:  -
Tracy Thorn and Ben Watt of Everything But the Girl take their turn in the "Back To Mine" series and give us a collection of music that feels extremely personal and revealing. There is a wonderful, seamless shifting in mood as the collection progresses through the excellently mixed tracks by Ben Watt. From DJ Cam's wonderful marriage of jazz and hip-hop in 'Friends & Enemies' to start things off all the way through to the incomparable Donny Hathaway's inspiring, uplifting 'Someday We'll All Be Free' at the finish, it's easy to sense, as the liner notes confirm, just how much this music has meant to Tracy and Ben in the course of their lives. And that's what makes this "Back To Mine" installment such a great success. They don't just talk about it, they convey it, not simply with a great mix of sublime and exceptional tunes, but with open hearts, giving the listener a significant piece of themselves in the process. There's a wonderful, stilling effect the grooves assembled here have on me. Things in my life come into sharp focus then just as quickly fall away and blur as I listen. I feel reflective, moving years into the future or step into my past bathed in the music's ambience. Every track is a stunner, the highlights, aside from the aforementioned, being Slick Rick's 'All Alone', The Ananda Project's 'Cascades of Colour', Dubtribe Sound System's 'Do It Now', Carl Craig's 'A Wonderful Life' and The Roots 'Silent Treatment'. Kudos to Tracy and Ben and to the folks at Ultra Records for the "Back To Mine" series. Long may you run.
Rating: -
I was a little confused after listening to the CD the first time... Where is Tracey? I have been a huge fan of EBTG since their inception. (Even before they were being played on muzak radio station. What a shock it was when I actually heard them in an elevator. What a cliche, what tragedy). But, I been loving their transformation. I saw them in concert a few years ago, Ben dj'd before the show, Tracey's voice was as mesmerizing as ever... she sounds better live! Same as my recollection of being at their concert upteenth years ago (without their newly found electronics, of course). This CD loses a star because I was really looking forward to hear Tracey sing. Despite my disappointment, it still is a great chilling music... time to dim the lights now...
Rating: -
Similar to the other North American Back To Mine releases by Danny Tenaglia, Groove Armada and Faithless, EBTG's take on downtempo is a broad umbrella covering soulful house, funk, trip-hop, disco and R&B. It makes for an enjoyable home listen, and that's the point. What sets this mix apart from the others is the inclusion of a couple tracks by Detroit techno innovators Model 500 (Juan Atkins) and Carl Craig. In my opinion, the mix strays a bit near the end with The Roots - "Silent Treatment," a somewhat more raucous rap selection that doesn't quite feel right straddling the already-established mood. Also, I don't really care for the 70's style crooning of Donny Hathaway at the end of the CD, but I'm sure someone else's review will praise this, so as always, it all comes down to personal taste. Considering my own personal taste, this is a solid 4-star effort; this will definitely get plenty of listens alongside my other Back To Mines.
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