The Thievery Corporation - 'The Richest Man In Babylon' (ESL)
4/5
By: Toby L
A duo so insanely eclectic in their preferential listening-matter that classical and jazz genres often flow on their stereos alongside the likes of The Beatles, The Pixies, Johnny Cash and Sam Cooke, it's no wonder that The Thievery Corporation's third LP-proper, 'The Richest Man In Babylon', makes for a typically diverse fayre.
From the Emiliana Torrini-sung 'Heaven's Gonna Burn Your Eyes' through to the sumptuous, downbeat acid-groove offerings as provided with Lou Lou fronting the vocal-mix, every track is a churning cauldron of ideas, albeit, without a tendency to drag on for too long and find the original melting-pot of inspirations burnt out and indigestible. Elsewhere, the fusions of trumpets, bass-tones that would make Barry White get in the mood for some serious lovin', and electronica that successfully veers off the icy, pre-packaged, stone-dead edge that often taints recordings by similar artists, are all present, collectively forming one of 2002's most beguiling listens.
With a Spaniard take-on of instrumentation firing the pulse of 'Meu Destino', the gentle vocal-presence possessed by Patrick De Santos, and the enthralling, Notch-fronted, Moby-esque pace of the title-track also provided space for absorption, the record simply drips with class, allowing nearest rivals Afro Celt Sound System to appear contrived, far too unsubtle nor inventive with their attempts at blending together polar-opposite styles in the same sitting.
The whole effort completed with a dual-song contest of immense proportions - another Torrini-collaboration, the low-key and moody 'Until The Morning', and transcendent strings-piece, 'Resolution' - the effect is overpoweringly impacting; peculiar, really, for an album whose direction hasn't had to shapeshift through to similar, beaten tracks in order to achieve such a pivotal, pole position.
Three LPs in, and displaying few signs of running low on the buzzing stimulation which emulates in much of 'The Richest Man in Babylon's material, it seems that The Thievery Corporation are still stealing from the best source of all - sheer origination.
Artists in this article: The Thievery Corporation
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