Fragments of Freedom

Morcheeba were once the dreamiest bass-heavy, slow funk-oriented group in all of trip-hopdom, as anyone who's spent time with their 1998 sophomore album, Big Calm, will attest. Fragments of Freedom begins interestingly enough, with the languorous, slide guitar-enhanced track "World Looking In." But things go awry from there; the lyrics are so daft and pale, and the R&B-lite arrangements so limp, that the listener keeps waiting for the group to bust out laughing, then introduce the real music. "Let It Go," with its faux-inspirational chorus and tepid keyboard runs, sounds like the Euro-club music they might play at Epcot Center. By the time Biz Markie shows up with a short, sweet track of old-school boasting halfway through, it's far too late to save this CD. Freedom sounds like a misdirected attempt to reach a larger audience; the result is as appealing as cotton candy that's been dipped in maple syrup, covered with vanilla frosting, and then dropped in the sand. Recommended only as a clear example of how not to make interesting dance-pop with wide appeal. — Mike McGonigal.