Dive Deep (CD - 2008)

Morcheeba: Ross Godfrey (guitar, guitars, acoustic guitar, electric guitar, lap steel guitar, banjo, piano, Fender Rhodes piano, Clavinet, Hammond b-3 organ, Wurlitzer organ, synthesizer, bass guitar); Paul Godfrey (drums, drum machine, sound effects, scratches).

Additional personnel: Thomas Dybdahl (vocals, guitars, acoustic guitar, piano, bass guitar); Bradley Burgess (vocals, guitars, bass guitar); Judie Tzuke, Cool Calm Pete (vocals); The Mak Of All Trades (flute); Dan Goldman (Fender Rhodes piano, synthesizer, bass guitar); Martin Carling (drums); Manda (background vocals).

DIVE DEEP is the second studio album to be recorded without Skye Edwards, the lead singer who helped catapult Morcheeba to the upper strata of the trip-hop echelon on its first four albums. Unlike its predecessor, however (which showcased singer Daisy Marty), DIVE DEEP features several vocalists, including Judie Tzuke, Thomas Dybdahl, Cool Calm Pete, and Manda (neither Edwards not Marty make an appearance),

Old-school fans might miss Edwards's cool diva vocals, but the Godfrey brothers have mixed organic sounds, expansive synths, lounge, R&B, and pop on DIVE DEEP, maintaining plenty of Morcheeba's classic vibe. Whether it's the lead single, "Enjoy the Ride," which turns on a moody, downtempo groove; the ethereal Britpop of "Riverbed"; the Nick Drake-esque flavor of "Run Honey Run"; or the head-nodding hip-hop of "One Love Karma," Morcheeba prove themselves as eclectic and appealing as ever.

Longtime Morcheeba fans that found their sunshine bright album The Antidote a complete disappointment couldn't ask for a better follow-up than Dive Deep. Making that other unloved effort seem like a mislabeled side project, Dive Deep finds multi-instrumentalists the Godfrey brothers returning to the murky, moody kind of downtempo and trip-hop of their early days, just without original vocalist Skye Edwards, or for that matter, Antidote's vocalist Daisy Martey. Instead, they go about it Zero 7 style, utilizing a series of guest vocalists including smooth rapper Cool Calm Pete, alternative singer/songwriter Thomas Dybdahl, and most surprisingly, pop/rock veteran Judie Tzuke, who brings a welcome, folk-tinged sound that serves to connect the dots here between soft rock and Portishead. Tzuke's "Enjoy the Ride" and "Blue Chair" are the mellow highlights to curl up with, while Dybdahl's trilogy of songs -- "Riverbed," "Sleep on It Tonight," and "Washed Away" -- finds his poetic musings on all things melancholy perfectly packaged in Morcheeba's lazy sway. Special mention goes to newcomer Bradley Burgess who delivers "Run Honey Run" with all the hippie grace this John Martyn cover deserves. If Burt Bacharach and the bedazzling side of '60s rock influenced The Antidote, Martyn, Bert Jansch, and Fred Neil are the more earthy and literate artists brought to mind by Dive Deep. The change does the Godfrey brother's music good, bringing it more in line with the Morcheeba name and the masterful good songs/good vibes combination that made their first two full-lengths so haunting. ~ David Jeffries minimize