Back To Mine

Morcheeba's contribution to the always interesting Back to Mine series oozes smooth sensuality, fit for either candlelit sofa canoodles with a friend or solo escapes with a pair of headphones. Main Morcheeban Paul Godfrey is behind the 15-track collection, and his journey goes everywhere from Taj Mahal's '70s blues funk on "Chevrolet" to delicious trip-hop on Small World's "Dual Tone," with forays into hip-hop (Missing Linx's "What It Is") and pure smooth soul (Plus's "Put Everything Together") along the way. Godfrey's selections never appear pretentious, despite their coffeehouse eclecticism. His own group contributes the record's finest moment, a brooding 3 a.m. trip-hop stroll through New York's Lower East Side titled "On the Rhodes Again". All in all, this disc is a sure-fire winner for those who spend their time in the Top 40 but want to be a little cooler than the mainstream normally allows. --Steffan Chirazi