WEATHERMAN

Curious Liquid

Just Music (2001)

Sorry - no album cover at this time

review by Dene Bebbington

This is the debut solo album of artist Laurant Webb, recording under the name Weatherman. It's by no means his debut in the music world as he's been involved with studios and a band since his late teens and is a producer of underground dance music. Don't let that make you think Curious Liquid is dance music though; it's actually rhythmic chill-out music with a distinct hint of "world music" creeping in on some tracks. To some extent, it has a similar chill-out feel to Jon Hopkins' [label mate, ed.] Opalescent, the difference is that Weatherman delivers brighter and more upbeat relaxing music.

Going by the liner notes there seems to be a lot of keyboard and programming used to create this album, however, it doesn't sound overly electronic. There's plenty of percussion, drum effects, and guitars heard throughout, as well as some wordless vocals with what I took to be an African slant.

The various musical elements have obviously been blended by someone with a great sense of infectious rhythms and melodies. Sure, it's a relaxing album, yet several tracks invite, nay demand, the listener to move with the rhythm. If you don't at least get your foot tapping during parts of this album, then there's something wrong with you!

The strength of Curious Liquid is the exploration of rhythm using whatever works for each track, in some places it's fairly mainstream and in others the "world music" feel is quite strong - as in"Petouki" which reminded me of the Lonely Planet soundtracks. For me, the rhythmic and melodic apotheosis is in "Stereophonic Initiation," a lovely piece with a wistful melody, excellent synth pads, and a laid-back rhythm.

Overall, this is a superb album, ideal for playing in a relaxing environment or for using the music to make one feel relaxed. The change in styles between contiguous tracks doesn't always work too well, but that's a only niggle. I recommend this album to anyone who enjoys quality chill-out music.