[.ca] Fragments of Freedom

From Amazon.com:
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

What the . . . . ?!?!?:
Ok, the first two albums were great. Infact, they were better than great, they were greater-er (uh, yeah). Then came this album. Since then, I am afraid to waste my hard earned money on following releases. This album basically sucks (minus the short track featuring good ol' biz). It's like going to a disco on prozac and speed. They were doing great, and then the artistic momentum that they had created all of a sudden stopped. Don't take my word for it, look at the average # of stars it got compaired to previous albums. Simply put, this album bombed.

Pretty Good CD:
The elements in this Morcheeba CD are funk oriented. The hits remind one of a 1970s roller disco where the girls wear the shorts, t-shirts and knee-high socks roller skating. Skye's voice is strong and soulful as she sings the lyrics to the song, "Good Girl Down". Then again she has a strong and soulful voice. This is worth my money and an added collection of Morcheeba CDs.

Not the Morceeba I knew...:
This should not be taken as an in-depth review of the album, and perhaps I am being unfairly biased. However, I purchased this album expecting the signature trip-hop down-tempo Morceeba sound that they have been crafting for the past few years, and this album deviates quite a bit from that. Just a warning to those wanting a first glimpse of Morceeba or an extension of what they used to sound like -- this album is not representative of their other work. And personally, I much prefer Morceeba's older offerings, such as Big Calm.

Not as bad as some people might think:
I was perusing my enormous cd collection over the holiday weekend and came across Morcheeba's "Fragments of Freedom" cd. I haven't listened to it in a couple of years. "Fragments of Freedom" is the only Morcheeba cd that I own so I can't compare it to the group's other albums. I honestly didn't think that "Fragments of Freedom" is as bad as a lot of people say that it is. I'm not a big fan of funk music but surprisingly enough I found myself enjoying the group's more funk-laden tracks like "Love is Rare" and "Let It Go". "Fragments of Freedom" is by far not perfect because the way that the songs flow together which is a bit on the choppy side. I mean the first two tracks are gorgeous your traditional icy trip hop songs and then the next two are '70s funk-laden tracks. The fifth track is a dancehall/reggae-influenced track. I thought the various sounds made the album. Overall the sound on the album was uneven. Nevertheless I did like all of the songs despite the fact that they made the album sound very uneven.

Less spice, more sugar, still good:
Yes, it's not "Big Calm," which was flawless, but you can hardly expect artists to repeat themselves blindly. Anyway, I expect that sort of a move would have drawn even more critical fire. "Fragments of Freedom" is a well-done album, perhaps less soulful than "Big Calm" but still thoughtful and fluid, less jazz and more pop -- different, but not necessarily bad. It sounds as if everyone had a good time working on this album. "Rome" is my favorite; it sounds like Skye sang it with a smile. Fans of Morcheeba would enjoy "Fragments" as long as they doesn't expect a rigid repeat of what came before. Remember: if you support them, that means they'll have the opportunity to make the next thing even better.

• World Looking In
• Rome Wasn't Built in a Day
• Love is Rare
• Let it Go
• A Well Deserved Break
• Love Sweet Love (feat Mr. Complex)
• In the Hands of the Godz (feat. Biz Markie)
• Shallow End
• Be Yourself
• Coming Down Gently
• Good Girl Down (feat. Bahamadia)
• Fragments of Freedom