Ministry of Sound in Chillout Mode
The Groove | Boston, MA | 08/04/2002
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Ministry of Sound does yet another chillout album of downtempo grooves, but this time the theme is Ibiza, the international version of Daytona Beach for clubbers. On this double CD, MoS gives us a disc of soothing tracks, coupled with a second disc of dance numbers that are uplifting but not too extreme. After all, it's Sunday morning after a hard night of clubbing, and the last thing you need is music that will bring back the hangover you tried so hard to get rid of. Disc One has the usual cast of chillout characters: Groove Armada, Zero 7, and Basement Jaxx. But the disc has a welcome surprise in the form of the ever-soulful Jazzanova, who are represented with the track "Bohemian Street." Disc Two is more uptempo, featuring the synth pop of Royksopp, the discocentric house of Deep Dish with Everything but the Girl, the unlikely dance project X-Press 2 featuring former Talking Head David Byrne (!), and a collaboration between two-stepper MJ Cole with Jazzanova. But the track that gets bonus points from me is the Kenny Dope/Louie Vega project Nuyorican Soul, which offers the track "I Am the Black Gold of the Sun." This jazzed-up number is a welcome diversion from Vega's and Gonzales's house roots and adds the disc a very classy touch. In my school of music, "Chillout Sessions Ibiza 2002" gets an A-."
21st Century Easy Listening Music
Douglas Shepardson | Torrance, CA USA | 06/30/2002
(4 out of 5 stars)
"I travel internationally alot, so I am always looking for music to play on long flights that is complex yet laid-back yet sophisticated. This one is a winner. There are 40 tunes by various groups, some going back 4 or 5 years, but so what? A great song is a great song no matter how old it is. And the great variety means you can listen over and over and hear something new every time. SPECIAL BONUS: This is probably the best make out music CD set since Avalon by Roxy Music."