Judging from the growing pile of rapturous reviews for this record, I may find myself in the minority suggesting you steer clear of Djin Djin – which may prove challenging given this project is a collaboration between Razor & Tie and Starbucks Entertainment; virtually assuring that it will become a fixture in the java vendor’s proliferating locations. The push is definitely on. Rarely – if ever – has a world music artist marshalled such forces for an assault on the easy rock / AOR audience. Produced by Tony Visconti and featuring Alicia Keyes, Branford Marsalis, Joss Stone, Ziggy Marley, Josh Groban and Carlos Santana, this is the veritable D-Day landing of crossover attempts. Problem is… it doesn’t work. These ‘collaborations’ have all the subtlety of Donald Trump’s ‘cameo appearance’ at a Hollinger shareholder meeting. Nowhere is this more evident than in the cover of Sade’s ‘Pearls’. Josh Groban’s lachrymose baritone and Santana’s rarely restrained guitar stylings take things way way over the top. This might otherwise be forgiven, but for the fact that the chorus conflates – apparently without irony – the misery of an impoverished Somali woman and the pain of breaking in new footwear: “She lives a life she didn't choose / And it hurts like brand-new shoes.” Perhaps it is unfair to characterize the entire CD by its weakest link, but an utterly superfluous cover of ‘Gimme Shelter’ (featuring Joss Stone) and the puzzling ‘Lonlon’ – a free adaptation of Ravel’s Bolero – seal the deal and negate any redeeming value that might be found in this project. It’s a great pity. I expected more of both Angelique Kidjo and Razor & Tie. Then again, I don’t expect anything less from Starbucks. All of which matters nought, because last week I stumbled across Angelique Kidjo’s performance on The Tonight Show and when it comes to shaping tastes in Middle America, I’m pretty sure Jay Leno has me beat.
Saturday, June 2, 2007
Angelique Kidjo - Djin Djin (Razor & Tie / Starbucks)
Judging from the growing pile of rapturous reviews for this record, I may find myself in the minority suggesting you steer clear of Djin Djin – which may prove challenging given this project is a collaboration between Razor & Tie and Starbucks Entertainment; virtually assuring that it will become a fixture in the java vendor’s proliferating locations. The push is definitely on. Rarely – if ever – has a world music artist marshalled such forces for an assault on the easy rock / AOR audience. Produced by Tony Visconti and featuring Alicia Keyes, Branford Marsalis, Joss Stone, Ziggy Marley, Josh Groban and Carlos Santana, this is the veritable D-Day landing of crossover attempts. Problem is… it doesn’t work. These ‘collaborations’ have all the subtlety of Donald Trump’s ‘cameo appearance’ at a Hollinger shareholder meeting. Nowhere is this more evident than in the cover of Sade’s ‘Pearls’. Josh Groban’s lachrymose baritone and Santana’s rarely restrained guitar stylings take things way way over the top. This might otherwise be forgiven, but for the fact that the chorus conflates – apparently without irony – the misery of an impoverished Somali woman and the pain of breaking in new footwear: “She lives a life she didn't choose / And it hurts like brand-new shoes.” Perhaps it is unfair to characterize the entire CD by its weakest link, but an utterly superfluous cover of ‘Gimme Shelter’ (featuring Joss Stone) and the puzzling ‘Lonlon’ – a free adaptation of Ravel’s Bolero – seal the deal and negate any redeeming value that might be found in this project. It’s a great pity. I expected more of both Angelique Kidjo and Razor & Tie. Then again, I don’t expect anything less from Starbucks. All of which matters nought, because last week I stumbled across Angelique Kidjo’s performance on The Tonight Show and when it comes to shaping tastes in Middle America, I’m pretty sure Jay Leno has me beat.
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