Ben Watt

It's easy to see the connection between Ben Watt's work in Everything But the Girl, his love of bossa nova, and the kind of house music he favors. All are warm, tasteful, and seductive. His inclination extends to his new house music label, Buzzin' Fly Records. Watt's mix of selections from the label takes up the first disc of Buzzin' Fly, Vol. 1, with a collection of unmixed releases on disc two. Reaching outside of the Buzzin' Fly catalog here and there, Watt changes things from sunny and sparkling to cool and deep with his slowly evolving mix. His own track, "A Stronger Man," with vocals by Terence Trent D'Arby under his alternative name, Sananda Maitreya, is the mix's highlight. Just like everything around it, the track is hypnotic and slick, but D'Arby's lyrics give the listener that something extra to latch onto. Same goes for Watt's remix of Low's "Tonight" -- and Justin Martin's slowly melting "Sad Piano" takes third -- but the rest of the disc is too subdued to separate. That's hardly a bad thing when you take into account how well the disc works as a whole, but newcomers to the less ambitious side of house might not be swayed on just one listen. For the house fan, Buzzin' Fly, Vol. 1 is like your favorite pair of jeans. Nobody ever comments on them, but they make you feel comfortable and better than usual. The second disc is short and only repeats "Sad Piano" out of the highlights, but it serves as a nice bonus. ~ David Jeffries, All Music Guide