Idlewild
Everything but the Girl have always taken a languid approach to their music, but they were at their most sublime onIdlewild. Produced by the duo's own Ben Watt, the music is stripped down to the bare minimum--a rhythm, a melody, and Tracy Thorn's divine voice--yet somehow they make it feel lush. Some of EBTG's most affecting songs are onIdlewild: Thorn's adolescent reminiscence in "Oxford Street"; "The Night I Heard Caruso Sing," Watt's ode to father and (someday) son in which he explains that the great tenor is "almost as good as Presley"; the tale of friendship in "Blue Moon Rose"; and "Apron Strings," a song of love and loss. EBTG are just as touching onAmplified HeartandAcoustic, butIdlewildis a classic in its own right.--Randy Silver