Herald rating: * * *
(Festival)
Review: Russell Baillie
Wookie - aka Jason Chue - is the latest don of the UK garage scene to release an album after success on the single and remix front. Those who have found the likes of MJ Cole and Craig David a bit too, well, wine bar, may find this darker, jazzier, more adventurous blend of drum'n'bass and R&B/soul more to their liking. Not that this doesn't have melodies among the 11 propulsive and immaculate tracks, particularly the British hit single Battle, with vocalist Lain (who does the honours on four other tracks) chiming soulfully over stomping pizzicato strings.
Elsewhere, the likes of Time suggests a 21st-century Stevie Wonder; Backup manages a successful flamenco-techno summit; the instrumental likes of Scrappy and VCF deliver chilled electronics over fascinating, futuristic rhythms and Wookie plays a homage to having served his time in Soul II Soul's London studios with a reworking of that group's classic Back To Life on What's Going On. The song ideas aren't always as strong as the programming that goes into them, but it's still an enjoyable set.
<i>Wookie:</i> Wookie
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