Boy George: Essential Mix : Music Reviews : Rolling Stone

Album Reviews

DJ mix CDs are an interesting phenomenon -- you're not really buying someone's talents, you're buying their taste. In the case of erstwhile Culture Club frontman Boy George, you get your money's worth. Culture Club grew out of Britain's early Eighties dance scene and when that outfit ran its course, George returned to the clubs in the Nineties, reacquainting himself with the DJ booth. Essential Mix is an invigorating tour through George's crates, beginning with ragga- and reggae-flavored obscurities like the Boogie Macs' "Girl From Ipanema" and Richie Dan's "Call It Fate," then flowing smoothly through neo-soul cut-ups like Shauna Solomon's "Watcha Gonna Do" and into more conventional acid house and drum-n-bass sound collages. George throws a bit of himself into most of these tracks, reworking some of the beats and grooves, adding a few instrumental licks, even the odd vocal, but mostly he just programs a dynamic set that proves he's no dance music dilettante. (DAVID PEISNER)