Morcheeba - Blood Like Lemonade

by Fiona Hutchings

published: 30 / 5 / 2010

Label: Play It Again Sam
Format: CD

Fantastic combination of blues, trip hop and country rock on sixth album from pionnering London act Morcheeba, which sees the return to lead vocals after an absence of seven years of Skye Edwards

Review

In 2000 I got myself a boyfriend who came with the added bonus of a 3 CD disc changer stereo. No longer did I face the nightly dilemma of choosing between 'Moon Safari' by Air, 'Becoming X' by the Sneaker Pimps and 'Big Calm' by Morcheeba to fall asleep to. This is not the only reason I later married him but I was seriously impressed. Of the three that last is the only one to follow the march of technology onwards and make it too my iPod. Fast forward 10 years and after leaving the band in 2003, Skye Edwards is back together with the Godfrey brothers and their latest album 'Blood Like Lemonade' joins its predecessor comfortably, feeling like an easy continuation. All the key elements are there. From hypnotic opener 'Crimson' to the more upbeat and vampire narrative driven title track it feels as though they have never been away. "Want to know why there's dead guy in my living room?" A 'Recipe For Disaster' indeed! Sometimes the tales told are so bold and epic, dragons and demons abound. 'Cut To The Bass' and 'Mandala' prove that Morcheeba's particular alchemy of spoken word samples mixed up with lazy trance grooves really are timeless. Skye's vocals remain angelic and so light and breathy that sometimes it feels they might slip away all together. If this album is missing anything its a big number where she really gets to open up her pipes but I suspect it might throw the overall mix out of balance. Laid back but never bland, satisfying and unselfconscious, fusing blues, tripping and the odd country guitar twang, Morcheeba are long overdue in giving us this album and I thank god for the shuffle feature on my Ipod!

Track Listing:-

1 Crimson
2 Even Though
3 Blood Like Lemonade
4 Mandala
5 I Am The Spring
6 Recipe For Disaster
7 Easier Said Than Done
8 Cut To The Bass
9 Self Made Man
10 Beat Of The Drum
11 Straight Ahead