5.5 out of 5... March 6, 2004
6 out of 8 found this review helpful
Judging by some of these reviews, 'Something Wicked...' doesn't appeal to a certain type of Herbaliser fan. In my opinion, the closed-minded ones. This album isn't leaning towards pretentious jazz, it's a mix of seductive downtempo grooves, fresh hip-hop and sleazy funk with some excellent production.
Admittedly, this album is a slight departure from the old Herbaliser sound, being less sample-based and with more emphasis on instrumentation - but the cheeky samples from old movies and public information films are still there, as is the clever scratching, catchy beats and awesome guest rappers. In any case, it's not as much a departure as a logical evolution of their style.
I suppose the only way you could dislike this album having been a fan of their previous work is if you are the sort of person who would dislike Barry Adamson's 'Murky World of...', and hence you probably wouldn't appreciate the cinematic lounge-funk-jazz hybrid that the backing to the Herbaliser beats has become.
I personally think the additional instruments give the album an epic, live feel, and shows that the Herbaliser are much more than just purveyors of high quality ambient hip-hop. Basically if you like quality hip-hop with stoned grooves such as Aim, you'll love this. If you are into bands like Quantic, Bonobo, Kinobe, Blue States - you should love this album too.
|