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review by Bill Binkelman Albums like Lovers Lounge are uncomplicated affairs. As the sticker on the CD front states "Where the erotic meets the exotic." The twelve selections are intended to either stoke the libido of willing horizontal participants by providing a chilled-out background of sensual beats and lush synthesized melodies or to serve as delectable ear candy, a musical triple chocolate cake, as it were. In other words, this is not deep or "significant" but it's not supposed to be. Thanks to David Evey (who compiled, arranged, and provided the original concept) and Brian Wayy (who co-produced with Evey), the cheese factor herein is kept to a bare minimum and when it does rear its head, it's usually Brie or a fine Cheddar, never Cheez-Whiz® or American. Production quality is exquisite. This stuff is dead solid perfect from a professionalism standpoint! Surprisingly, not that many tracks (at least per the liner notes) are previously released, which earns this CD bonus points in my book. So, what you do get musically for your hard-earned bucks? The CD offers up an assortment of tunes that criss-cross between various off-shoots of artists like Enigma, B-Tribe, and other practitioners of sultry female vocals (mostly used as textures and not really for lyrical content, even when there are lyrics), snappy beats (both electronic and sampled ethnic) and sexy layers of lush synths, usually in the service of catchy and listenable melodies. Some of these artist are probably known to fans of electronica and chill-out, e.g. Phobos (whose "Lovers Embrace" opens the album with a hot-and-bothered yet softly romantic blend of midtempo hand percussion, floating keyboard washes and retro-spacy synths along with a mysterious woman singing in what sounds like French), Govinda, and Lotus. The artists whom I don't know contribute some of the best selections. Upanishad's "After the Moon" throws some subdued jazzy guitar into the mix along with shuffling beats, buoyed by an undercurrent of flowing synths. "Desert Wind" (by Radiophonic) stretches out over seven minutes and is primo chill-out stuff, with Fender Rhodes-like keys, toe-tapping hight-hats, and a breathy female vocal (hand percussion and some quasi-drum and bass beats adds some spice later). I can do without the pseudo-Deep Forest ethnic chanting on Govinda's "Inner Membrane" (I've never been a fan of that subgenre) even though the accompanying music has its moments when it hits its dubbish stride. And what in the hell the piano and harp-driven new age number "Gift of Love" from Nadama is doing here is anyone's guess! On the other hand, "Serpentine," the track contributed by The Essence, is a highlight with its retro '60s/'70s funky r 'n' b guitar churning away on top of billowing synths and percolating synth beats. The female vocal on this cut is actually seriously sexy! Well, by now you've probably got a good idea what to expect. Lovers Lounge will not shake the foundations of ambient music. And you'll need a sense of humor about the packaging (I wonder if this CD is on the shelf at Wal-Mart?). Still, there's no denying the appeal of this ultra-smooth and highly polished affair. Maybe it's not enough to make me buy a lava lamp, but I may be able to find my old black light around here somewhere… |
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