New York - July 16, 2002

Who Could Ask for Anything Mor?

"Charango," Morcheeba's Latest Album

Summer’s halfway over…but, wait! Where the heck is the perfect summer album?

Sure, Eminem’s crooning about girls in trailer parks. But that came out months ago! And yeah, the Spidey soundtrack served its purpose. But finally — stop the presses — today Morcheeba releases “Charango,” and it’s friggin’ almost perfect, from the first track, “Slow Down,” that sets the eclectic tone, to the final tune, “The Great London Traffic Warden Massacre.”

It’s built for those languid days of summer heat (and any steamy activities you might be engaging in during them). Brazilian folk and samba have an overarching presence. The groovy “Sao Paolo” recalls Astrud Gilberto. There are traces of Gainsbourg, Bollywood, Burt Bacharach, rock, and hip-hop scattered throughout. Slick Rick puts in an appearance on “Women Lose Weight” (the moral of the ditty: “keep trim; keep your marriages healthy”), and Dr. Dre produces one of the sultriest tunes, “Get Along,” on an already damn sexy album.

The only new M&M you need is the blue one. The blonde one has already had his 15 minutes.

Available online at amazon.com.

  Music