The Best of Cafe Del Mar is a 2CD compilation with some absolutely fantastic tracks, remixing popular tracks from artists such as U2 and Coldplay, sitting alongside some really beautiful global music, with vocals that celebrate different languages.
Paco De Lucia – Entra Dos Aguas
5.59 minutes
A dazzling, beautiful and entrancing opening. Fantastic guitar playing coupled with simple drum taps. The music is mesmerising enough as it is, but then playing like a Spanish Western, it picks up halfway and the music increases in pace, to reach it’s final crescendo. It’s a brilliant track, which evokes warm weather, beautiful seas and stunning Spanish music into the imagination, sending shivers of excitement down your spine.
Karen Ramirez – Troubled Girl
4.18 minutes
I’ve never heard of Karen Ramirez, truth be told, but she has an incredible voice and I did a little digging on Google. The samba, Brazilian feel of the track is quite obvious and is wonderfully upbeat and mid-tempo. Ramirez’s voice is like silk over the skin; smooth with a feeling of richness. The brass instruments, guitars, drums and modern additions in the form of studio enhancements work divinely together to form a dreamy, blissful number. Those vocals will make you melt on the spot. I love Ramirez.
Ben Onono – Tatouage Blue
3.58 minutes
Wow is all I can say. The music goes from strength to strength, and this time is in French. The rapping vocals aren’t too interesting, and rather generic, but it’s the singing vocals of the Ben Onono (is that the name, or the band?) that are truly sublime. When the chorus kicks in, you feel like you’re floating on cloud filled with French hipsters and cool, French suave. For all I know, they could be singing “The British Smell and I hate Sekhu”, but it’s exquisitely delightful to even matter.
Mari Boine – Gola Gola
4.47 minutes
Peruvian? Arabic? I’m not quite sure, but it has a more Middle Eastern than South American feel. The voice is again, very seductive, and very beautiful. A more chilled out track than the previous efforts, it’s like a Massive Attack track from Mezzanine; well balanced drum beats with some trippy and mesmerising synth. Although lyrically limited, this is not a poor track in any sense of the word. Boine’s voice is truly angelic, and the music is simply a stunning backdrop.
Lux – Northern Light
5.33 minutes
Super chill out comes in the form of Lux. It is both striking and seductive, creating a dream like comfort around you. It’s the sort of relaxation music you’ll probably hear when going to a massage parlour (the proper ones, not the ones my friend’s visit), or hear being played to a pregnant ladies belly. It’s strange, intriguing but fascinating to listen to. At 5.33 minutes, it’s perhaps a bit too long and repetitive for me, but you can’t argue it’s beauty and wondrous nature.
Jose Padilla – Adios Ayer
5.32 minutes
Another stunning track, and I’m running out of synonyms to describe the majestic delight this album is so far. Adios Ayer is sexy, tantalizing, sorrowful, and epic. It evokes and accentuates the images of beauty in your head: large open fields on a beautiful Summer’s day; or the glistening of the bright, warm Sun on the clear blue waters, while walking along a golden, sandy beach. It’s an impressive number from the producer of this compilation. The lyrics are depressing and sad, but this is contrasted with magnificient music; the choice of piano is a masterstroke in a very perfect track for those lazy afternoons, or even if you just need a boost. Simply excellent.
Lamb – Angelica
3.42 minutes
Finally a group that I know, of which albums I have. This is very much typical Lamb. Although I say typical , it’s taken from their 2004 album, Between Darkness and & Wonder, and is an eclectic and wonderful piece with equally great music on the rest of the album. It’s basically an instrumental with piano, but very breathtaking taking in it’s faultless execution. An inspirational piece.
Sabres of Paradise – Smoke Belch
4.18 minutes
Perhaps a touch generic, and not all that interesting; still a good track, it’s just a bit weak compared to the rest of the early tracks and doesn’t really stand up that well on its own. Still it’s a delightful distraction, but does become repetitive quite quickly. One of my least favourite tracks on the compilation.
Phil Mison – Lula
6.29 minutes
A long chill out track at nearly six and a half minutes. Some very cool piano, but mostly an understated piece that doesn’t really drive excitement. It’s very much a sit back and relax track, and one that rather quickly puts you to sleep. I guess in that regard, it works very well. It’s not boring, but I imagine this would play in a room with one seat and four white walls, and perhaps a halogen light in the ceiling. It’s a very echo-y, empty track. Different, good, but a bit dry.
Coldplay – God Put A Smile On My Face
5.28 minutes
A pretty boring, and dull remix of the Coldplay original. It wasn’t enough that the original was slower than a geriatric in a wheelchair being pushed down a hill, they had to make the track comatose. You’ll probably fall asleep or tear your hair out as to how dull a track it is. Great for sleeping to, but you don’t pay £20 for an album to fall asleep halfway through….
Moonrock – Hill Street Blues
3.45 minutes
Excellent chill out and hip hop track. A very funky number, with some cool bluesy sampling and some pretty wicked mixing. A simple track, but great nonetheless.
The Ballistic Brothers – Uschi’s Groove
3.25 minutes
Similar to Moonrock, except this one has a lot more funk, synth and groove. Pretty good track.
New Funky Generation – The Messenger
3.45 minutes
The title should be a clue, but this is another funky, hipster track. The vocals are excellent, and comes across as a sort of Brand New Heavies tune, but with some actual class (I like the BNH, but come on, they were a bit crap). Blues guitar, soul sounds, and more funk than you can shake a stick at. It’s a pretty wicked track and harks to the sounds of cool rather than pretentious.
Penguin Cafe Orchestra – Music for a Found Harmonium
2.35 minutes
Sounding a little like tongue-in-cheek, this track has a rather Celtic flavour to it. You can just imagine kids running down the cobbled roads, chasing each other through Mrs Butters washing line and hearing her scream obscenities. It’s a very free spirited track, that definitely has a child-like liveliness about it. The string instruments are exceptional to hear and the whole thing flows like water along a stream. Sweet music.
Les Negresses Vertes – Face La Mere (Massive Attack)
5.40minutes
Remixed by you know who, this is a pretty Middle-Eastern flavoured track. It’s ravishing and exotic in its presentation, with some very Middle-Eastern vocals. Of Course I could be wrong, even though it’s in French, but then Algeria and the surrounding areas do speak French natively. Semantics aside, this is a very nice track.
Zuell – Olas de Sal
6.19 minutes
Another track with a Middle-Eastern flavour, but also Mediterranean and French essences. The Spanish is pretty obvious in the language and so on, but the rest uses subtle and delicate influences from other regions. It’s a tasty, powerful, chill out track – the vocals are harrowing, but nothing short of hypnotic.
A Man Called Adam – Easter Song
8.02 minutes
Not a short track, but it’s pretty repetitive. In this instance, repetitive is not annoying, and it’s a very sweet track. The use of wind pipe instruments, spooky, echoing noises are quite enchanting and magical in their use. This is the only track my half-brother (aged 8 I think) likes. It’s not hard to see why, it’s another track that seems to revert to that inner child calling. A sumptuous track which oozes charm.
John Martyn – Sunshines Better
5.48 minutes
Chill out. Almost ska like vocals. Pretty standard stuff. Nice, but that’s about it.
Jose Padilla – Come Back
4.58 minutes
Very retro, very chic, not very good though. Interesting diversion but ultimately dull.
U2 – In A little While (Nightmares on Wax)
5.14 minutes
Sweet remix of a rather average U2 track (at least for me). Clever mixing, and rather subdued as well. It’s pretty much Bono’s vocals echoing around the remixed music. I’m actually surprised it works so well, and also a different sounding U2 by all accounts. Nice work.
Moby – Whispering Wind
6.02 minutes
It’s no surprise to find Moby on the compilation, who has gone through a fair number of transitions over the years. Distorted, vague vocals add to the Gothic music that plays; sounding rather like a funeral or the end of the world. You almost expect the gates of heaven to open up. It’s an atmospheric track and one of the creepier, but equally likable, tracks on the album.
U.K.O. – Sunbeams
4.21 minutes
Funky, cool and jazzy little number.
Lamb – Transfatty Acid
6.45 minutes
Slower Lamb track, not their usual experimental best, but a pretty wicked track nonetheless. Atmospheric, and soul-esque in its sound, lots of echo and seductive vocals; OK, I fancy Louise. A solid track, with a touch of breakbeat.
Bush – Letting the Cable Sleep
5.23 minutes
I used to listen to Bush. I said they were great, and well, I think I was wrong. Gavin isn’t that good, and often they were compared to Nirvana, because they behaved and sounded like it – albeit a D-version Nirvana. Still, this is a really excellent remix of one of the better tracks. It’s, ironically, one of my favourite tracks on the album. He doesn’t sound so bad nearly ten years later, and the lyrics are quite sweet. Perhaps a bit too sweet?
Larry Heart – Nookie
5.01 minutes
A pretty sexy and provactive track. Take something like Silk and their love songs, or even Boys 2 Men and add a dance, ambient feel to it, and you sort of get what you have here. It sounds pretty damn good as it happens, as this isn’t my usual cup of tea, so even for me, that’s a big step forward.
Electric 101 – Talking With Myself
7.02 minutes
Electronic brilliance from start to finish, this is a fantastic track and high note with which two end this excellent 2 CD collection. Think old school ambient/dance/chill out tunes, with keyboards/synth but wrapped in one package. Perhaps less of the dance, but it’s a fairly paced and upbeat number. Again, the vocals are great, and probably another woman to fall in love with, even if she has one leg and no arms. A superb blend of sounds, samples, vocals and monologue.
Overall, this is a fantastic compilation of some great tracks, from around the globe. It’s unfortunate that the CD contains so much commercial stuff, and a few bad tracks as I really would have liked to hear more world music. Still, for what you get, it’s a pretty accomplished Best Of collection, and it’s definitely worth your money.
Verdict: Staggering value for money for 2 CDs of musical bliss