Om Lounge 4
The fourth installment in the Om label's highly regarded lounge series is probably worth getting solely for the opening track, a remix of Beanfield's "The Season" (which improves on one of the best tracks from their 1999 release,Human Patterns). A conga-fueled rhythmic river flows inexorably over a syncopated but loose jazzy bottom end with a circle of electric piano chords supported by cello floating above. The vocals alternate between Blake-like pastoral-mystic spoken segments and an understatedly beautiful melody that mysteriously distributes the lyrical syllables at uneven intervals across the bar lines. The previous volumes in the series have included such well-known purveyors of the jazz-inflected downtempo sound asThievery Corporation,Fila Brazillia, andJazzanova, as well as Om's own Soulstice, J Boogie, People Under the Stairs andKing Kooba, all of whom reappear on this edition. King Kooba's "Fooling Myself" is another standout--a flute- and samba-propelled track with a trip-hop vocal line that injects new life into a well-explored style. Rithma's "Opium Dreams" also perfectly balances engaging listening with a relaxed feel; a cool electric piano-flavored groove with a brief melodic vocal sample is juxtaposed with strange electronic shimmers and a loop of a stoned giggle. Relative newcomers Iguassu and Caspian deserve a nod as well.-Bob Bannister