Morcheeba
Bimbo's, San Francisco, April 16, 1998

When Skye Edwards sings her haunting, jazzy vocals -- whether on CD or in concert -- you can't help but think she *is* Morcheeba. Not so. This is a serious group of musicians, not some studio-bolstered electronica or trip-hop outfit. Sure, they're British and they do the mellow-dance-vibe DJ thing, but during their performances Morcheeba are as much about slide guitar and live drumming as they are about Edwards' voice and dance beats.

Brothers Ross and Paul Godfrey, who complete the Morcheeba trio, wear their country and hip-hop influences (respectively) on their sleeves. Ross plies the more organic guitar, bass and keys; Paul handles the turntable chores and programmed drums. The crossroads of their divergent musical interests forms the heart of Morcheeba. You could hear it in the first few tracks at Bimbo's, many of which came from the band's recently released sophomore effort, Big Calm. Starting with "The Sea" (also the first song on the record), they launched right into their trademark lush sound, melding smoldering vocals with Seventies soul rhythms. Just one song later, they were quoting country rock guitar -- a la Ry Cooder -- in "Part of the Process." A few songs more into the set, it was the reggae throb of "Friction" pouring out of the speakers.

Amazingly, Morcheeba play all these musical styles without really breaking from the comfortably lazy tempo that is their trademark. Tracks from both albums (the new "Trigger Hippie" and "Big Calm"; the old "Tape Loop" and "Howling") were remarkably similar in mood, although they did throw a couple of curveballs to keep things interesting. The band's version of the George Gershwin/Du Bose Heyward classic, "Summertime," which they've also recorded for the upcoming Red Hot + Gershwin release benefiting AIDS charities, was noteworthy. Even further afield was the first encore, a Ross Godfrey slide guitar solo that was more trad blues than, say, anything you'd hear in an ecstasy-infused club setting.

These departures were welcome. Edwards' vocals, while beautiful, needed the stylistic diversity to keep things interesting. And that's also where guest DJs and other musicians came in, delivering subtle, skillful turntable effects and squealing lines of synth. Without such touches, the band was disappointingly restrained, offering only teases of exploration. It would be nice to see a DJ cut up something fierce ... or to hear Ross, that supposedly Hendrix-influenced guitarist, play with feedback while his brother drops some funky beats. Instead, they stick to structure. Maybe that's what the crowd really wants, anyway.

Whatever the case, it's certainly no longer possible to accuse Morcheeba of riding the trip-hop hype wave; they're creating their own now.

JAMES OLIVER CURY