Ross and Paul Godfrey, the driving forces behind Morcheeba, return with their sixth studio album, Dive Deep. The album marks a return to the original sound that once made the band a pioneering force behind the trip hop movement that emerged from the UK in the mid-'90s.
According to the brothers, this was an emotionally inspired record. It seems to be more guitar-heavy than the last few albums, the signature sound of that deep blues slide guitar ever more prevalent.
With the departure of vocalist Skye Edwards, who chose to pursue a solo career, the band went through a brief stint with Daisy Martey. On Dive Deep, the brothers chose to have guest vocalists perform on their album that they found through MySpace. Although some might feel this would be a risky move, not having a dedicated front person, it seems to work for Morcheeba. Perhaps taking a feather out of Thievery Corporation’s hat where they invite guest vocalists too, the move might make people focus on the music more and see the vocals as part of the rich tapestry their music weaves. Down the line, people are going to automatically link the genius of these two brothers to the band as opposed to the deep, sultry vocals of Skye Edwards.
Tracks that stand out on the album are “Thumbnails,” “One Love Karma,” “Blue Chair,” and “The Legend Beyond the Edge.” All these tracks have one thing in common—they sound like the once-groundbreaking Morcheeba that had the world spellbound. Dive Deep is Morcheeba as we all grew to love them. Though the album is not groundbreaking, you have to ask yourself what is groundbreaking these days? This is Morcheeba at their finest. Dive Deep drops February 19. |