Charango - Morcheeba

Morcheeba have been derided in some quarters for what their detractors would call coffee-table soul. And while it is true that their last album, Fragments Of Freedom, paddled in rather commercial waters, giving some credence to poe-faced Eastern European journalists labelling them a sell-out, its predecessor, Big Calm was anything but, the dark lyrics making oddly pleasant bed-fellows for Skye Edwards’ honeyed tones and Paul Godfrey’s laid-back vibes, with brother Ross adding some dramatic guitar swathes from time to time.

Charango, named after a small ten-string lute that originated in South America, sees them inhabit the middle-ground between the above albums, which will no doubt see the same cynics accusing the trio of fence-sitting. While their posteriors may bear some temporary wire-scars, for the most part, Charango is a fine album that proves that not all pop music has to be bland.

Things do sometimes get a bit Morcheeba-by-numbers, admittedly. Even Paul’s scratchy sound effects cannot rescue the lacklustre ‘Aqualung’ from the realms of the nondescript, while the band themselves sound disinterested on the unexceptional ‘Undress Me Now’.

Much better is the rawer hip-hop of title track or the wonderful ‘What New York Couples Fight About’, a duet between Skye and Lambchop frontman Kurt Wagner. ‘Slow Down’ is sultry, sun-kissed and so relaxed it has almost dozed off in the corner, and yet it keeps your toes tapping for its duration. ‘Sao Paulo’ is similarly tranquil and stress-free, with a gospel-tinged chorus that sees Skye sighing, “My life is one big cliché”: a cliché filled with top ten albums and sell-out tours would be most people’s idea of heaven, girl.

‘Way Beyond’ and ‘Women Lose Weight’ could show today’s teenagers how pop music should sound. The former is a mid-paced soul-filled tune, with a beautifully forlorn brass break adding immeasurably to the chorus, while the latter is intelligent, slick, tongue-in-cheek r’n’b, which raises two fingers to political correctness. The brilliantly titled ‘The Great London Traffic Warden Massacre’ is a stirring, string-laden soundtrack waiting to happen, but an instrumental is rather an odd way to end an album that has such a mixture of vocal talent elsewhere, doncha think?

While it’s not quite as genre-altering as Big Calm, Charanga mixes styles like a musical cocktail party, and Skye Edwards still has a voice capable of melting hearts from 90 paces. Normal service is resumed.