Morcheeba

By the end of the '90s, Morcheeba had made their name as an accessible ambassador for trip-hop, not up to the lofty standards of Massive Attack or Portishead, but perhaps boasting more warmth and universal appeal-thanks in large part to the soulful vocals of Skye Edwards. Edwards was a natural fit for the chilled-out aesthetics of the Godfrey brothers, but the working relationship proved to be untenable. On Dive Deep, Morcheeba's second album sans Edwards (and sixth overall), they employ The Chemical Brothers approach of using a variety of guest vocalists to flirt with a variety of genres, from ambient-pop, to hip-hop, to twists of country and blues.

Dive Deep gets off to an alarmingly lightweight start with "Enjoy the Ride." Lyrical nuance has never been a calling card for Morcheeba, and even without Edwards, they still lean hard on platitudes. Judie Tzuke, a predecessor to the likes of Beth Orton, contributes a game vocal, but the track-and a fair chunk of the album to follow-winds up feeling like it's repeating earlier (and better) ideas by the same group.

The rotating vocalists allow the Godfreys to showcase more of their versatility, and Dive Deep tends to play out more like a mix than an interconnected album. The best pair of songs fall right in the middle: "Gained the World" recalls earlier tranquil glories, while Cool Calm Pete proves that he has one of the most accurate names in hip-hop on "One Love Karma." But innocuous, airy tracks like "Blue Chair" would sound right at home in the lobby of chic cosmopolitan hotels. That's not the worst niche to fill, but clearly Morcheeba is-or at least was-capable of considerably more.

—Adam McKibbin
03.14.08

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, All Music Guide