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British trip-hoppers Morcheeba showcased their blend of soul, funk and hip-hop at New York City's Irving Plaza on Thursday, and, as with their albums, this night belonged to the groove. The trio of singer Skye Edwards and brothers DJ Paul Godfrey and guitarist Ross Godfrey -- who formed the group in 1996 -- actually tour as a sextet, adding bassist Scott Firth, drummer Martin Carling and keyboardist Dan Goldman to thicken their live sound.
Despite the full band, Edwards' light, sensual voice still dominated the evening, rekindling flames with Morcheeba regulars while seducing first-timers. When the music is as droning and hypnotic as Morcheeba's, performer enthusiasm is essential, but the set lacked energy.
Instead of bursting with new-song excitement, the band appeared oddly sedate when unveiling virtually all of its just-released Charango. For example, midway through the show, when the band played the mellow gem "Slow Down" -- the album's opening track -- Edwards followed her own advice and sprawled out on an amplifier saying, "It's time to roll a joint."
Still, fans embraced the band. Crowd favorites came from the tried-and-true early stuff, in this case the group's previous three albums, 1996's Who Can You Trust?, 1998's Big Calm and 2000's Fragments of Freedom. The knee-buckling opener "The Sea" and the slide-guitar driven "Part of the Process" -- both from Big Calm -- ranked as two of the performance's best songs, with the entire sold-out ballroom singing along.
The strangest songs of the night -- and on Charango -- unfolded when Edwards invited Lambchop's Kurt Wagner on stage to sing "What New York Couples Fight About" and "Undress Me Now," both songs he and the band co-wrote. An alt-country frontman, Wagner sported a cowboy hat, boots and glasses, looking fresh from the local rodeo, not like a back-up singer for two delightfully groove-heavy jams. Though visually paradoxical, the collaboration worked, and his spoken-word-like vocals alongside Edwards' sexy crooning produced some of the night's finest -- and certainly most interesting -- songs.
Though legal problems kept Slick Rick from performing the controversial, murderous "Women Lose Weight," rapper Pace Won was able to deliver his vocals on "Get Along" and "Charango." His flow, a cross between Eminem's and Ja Rule's, provided the night with a needed spark. Other standouts included the early single "Trigger Hippie" from 1996's Who Can You Trust?, Charango's catchy "Otherwise" and Big Calm's lively "Be Yourself."
Although at times too calm, Morcheeba's set of danceable, bending rhythms underneath Edwards' light, beautiful voice revealed a seasoned, tight band at the forefront of its genre.
Morcheeba's set list:
The Sea
Friction
Otherwise
Part of the Process
Aqualung
Be Yourself
Slow Down
What New York Couples Fight About
Undress Me Now
Trigger Hippie
Sao Palo
Way Beyond
Public Displays of Affection
Get Along
Charango
Blindfold
Rome Wasn't Built in a Day
BENJAMIN
FRIEDLAND
(July 29, 2002)