KEY POINTS:
"I'd buy that." Is there a better compliment for an album in these downloading days? Even more so when this willingness to part with the readies comes from one with a faultless collection and easy access to a freebie? Yes, Play with the Changes is one of those
rare albums that takes way too long to arrive, what with 4hero being something of the busy, busy remix heroes these days, and then doesn't disappoint.
It helps that opener Morning Child is clearly born of the same Euro soul-folk juices as their shamelessly majestic rehash of Minnie Riperton's Les Fleur from 2001 - think big in a spiritually-uplifting "Teach the world to Sing" Coke commercial kinda way, but with a much larger Messiah complex. Proceedings peak with Stoke up the Fire before a few slices of 4hero-by-numbers, not to mention their bewilderingly faithful reproduction of Stevie Wonder's Superwoman, threaten to sully our groovy meditation.
For anyone still hoping for a return to the twosome's original junglism, well, give it up, when PWTC isn't making the world a better place for string and horn players, it's joyously breaking beats over it's knee to keep things where the more discerning kids are at.
4hero also show up on the guest list for the remastered release of Azimuth, the 1975 debut of renowned Brazilian samba meddlers Azymuth. From the first track Linha do Horizonte onward, there's no danger of the boys doing a Ribena on us - what you get out is exactly what they say went in: Space funk and lush jazz with lashings of ear-bending psychedelia.
The good stuff also comes with a rather redundant, apples from apples, remix comp which presents as a collection of re-edits rather than reworkings, but hey, it's free, so fill your boots.
Now, a question: Has anywhere spawned more compilations than Jamaica? It's like someone has uncovered a well-irie perpetual reggae generator. Anyway, Soul Jazz have put together their umpteen and oneth, Studio One Kings: The Original, and as it's them what's made it you know it'll be a good 'un.
While bursting with real deals, Kings tilts a little far to the stern end of roots for my taste, but tracks such as Joe Higgs' Change of Plan and Cornell Campbell's winsome Pretty Looks Isn't All boast everything you'd ever want in a skanky tune, which is always welcome, but possibly not the best platform for launching into some bleepy mid-90s techno.
I've always felt this stuff worked best with a quietly melancholic mood and crap weather, so when those conditions finally merged it was now or never for Herbert's rereleased debut 100lbs. After all Matthew Herbert is the man behind the hip-to-reference big band bearing his own name, so, it'd have to have a certain swing going for it surely?
Erm, no. Not really. It is definitely of it's time, and that time has passed.
But hey, if you like your sounds untouched by human hands, this is a perfectly adequate example to pick up with long tweezers.
Now if you run several zillion light years away from that aesthetic you'll find Sister Funk 2 sweating it up in all her micro-skirted glory.
SF2 picks up where SF1 left off, just more so, with 20 slices of horn-tooting, sheila-shrieking, party pieces, and with most clocking in at a brisk 2min20, a truer evocation of the wham, bam, thank you ma'am spirit is impossible to imagine.
4hero
Play with the Changes (Raw Canvas Records)
Herald Rating: ****
Verdict: Crisply, lush anthems with a touch of the Jesus Christ Superstars
Azymuth
Azimuth(Far Out Recordings)
Herald Rating: ****
Verdict: The crazy samba has never sounded so, ummm, Far Out man
Studio one kings: the original(Soul Jazz Records) 4
Herald Rating: ****
Verdict: Just like a box of tasty chocolates, but with a bunch of songs inside instead
Herbert
100lbs(K7 Records)
Herald Rating: ***
Verdict: For old skool technoheads, otherwise save the cash and buy someone flowers
Sister funk 2 (Jazzman records)
Herald Rating: ****
Verdict: Just reading the liner notes is enough to get you all hot and bothered