The Language Of Life
By the time ofThe Language of Life, Everything but the Girl had reached a point in their career where they could get accomplished jazz musiciansJoe Sample,Michael Brecker, andStan Getzto play on their album and not have it perceived as an affectation: the duo had already made five albums that showcased Ben Watt's ability to write a classic melody and Tracey Thorn's silky vocals. In working with producer Tommy Lipuma, they made an album of superficially perfect love songs--beautiful tunes all, but overproduced to the point where the feelings behind them are only rarely glimpsed. There are some great songs, though--"The Road," "Driving," "Me and Bobby D," "Imagining America" are some of the best in EBTG's distinguished catalog--and they manage to makeLanguagea worthy album despite the shortcomings. Check out EBTG'sAcousticfor more nuanced versions of "Driving" and "Me and Bobby D."--Randy Silver