Everything But the Girl: Back to Mine : Music Reviews : Rolling Stone

Album Reviews

Those who were underwhelmed by the dance-floor tunnel vision Ben Watt displayed on last year's double-CD Lazy Dog Deep House Music will find redemption in this collaborative effort with Everything But the Girl partner Tracey Thorn. Hearing the duo mix old school hip-hop treasures (Slick Rick's "All Alone" and the Roots' "Silent Treatment") with alluring contemporary folk sides (Beth Orton's "Stars All Seem to Weep" and Mary Margaret O'Hara's "To Cry About") makes it easy to see how EBTG arrived at their own urbane-yet-funky sound. More beat-fixated listeners will be happy to know that the set does offer takes on some thumping club cuts -- notably the Ananda Project's "Cascades of Colour," Carl Craig's "A Wonderful Life." Overall, Back to Mine is solid evidence that despite its reputation for inconsistency, EBTG are one of the most tasteful acts out there today.

AIDIN VAZIRI
(May 29, 2001)