Sure, aside from the die-hards who love it all, there are those fans who prefer the early, blunted-out atmosphere of the trio's 1996 debut, Who Can You Trust?, and its slightly less hazy follow-up, Big Calm, to the brighter, smoother exotic-pop found on 2000's Fragments of Freedom and last year's Charango, and vice versa. But this eighteen-song collection -- which draws from all four albums and offers two new tracks -- allows both camps to see that the band's songwriting has been consistently strong and satisfying across the entirety of its eight-year career.
Singer Skye Edwards has always gotten the lion's share of the attention for her delicious, soulful croon -- certainly the antithesis of the emotionally detached diva. The acclaim is well-deserved, but props to the brothers Godfrey, too, for providing the group's mesmerizing musical foundation: guitarist Ross' psychedelic rock grooves and bottleneck-slide blues, and DJ Paul's tight beats, deftly woven samples and knack for eclectic arrangements. You can't go wrong with a set that includes "Blindfold," "Trigger Hippie," "What New York Couples Fight About" and "The Sea." And Morcheeba's high-quality new tunes "What's Your Name" (featuring rapper Big Daddy Kane) and "Can't Stand It" point to more good times ahead.
