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Alice Russell - Under The Munka Moon (tru Thoughts)
At first glance, this album from vocalist extraordinaire Alice Russell could appear a bit of a swizz, as seven of the thirteen tracks have appeared on previous albums from Natureboy, Quantic and the Quantic Soul Orchestra. Fortunately, such worries are quickly dispelled by the fact that all but two of the 'borrowed' pieces have been totally remixed.They are interesting and varied re-jigs; ranging from Digitek's hip hop take on 'Something That'S Real' from the QSO album, to Atjazz's broken beat version of 'Search The Heavens' from 'Apricot Morning'. The only two previously released tracks which haven't been cut to fit are the sultry, head nodding 'Someday', which was my introduction to Alice Russell and 'Sweet is the Air' with Natureboy.
The first of these tracks is one of the highlights of the album, but 'Sweet Is The Air' sits less comfortably, coming across a little too like late 80s pop/soul act Fairground Attraction, jarring somewhat against the more futuristic, funky productions on the LP.
And that's the thing with this album; much of it sounds like the soul classics of the future - not least the tugs-at-your-heartstrings-genius of the TM Juke produced 'Hurry On Now'. But, on the other hand, some of the tracks seem deliberately retro, or at least stripped back to the basics (the acoustic version of 'Tired Little One' for example) and this contrast seems to prevent the album from quite gelling together as a whole.
Taking that into account though, the fact remains that Alice Russell has one of the most emotive and recognisable voices in the whole of Britain. As a result there are certainly no bad songs on 'Under The Munka Moon'. It's just that there seems to be somewhat a lull in the middle of the album, which causes it to fail that all-important "Can I listen in the bath [where, curiously, the albums' final track was recorded] without needing to get out and skip a track?" test.
Sadly, because of this, the album misses out on an unqualified thumbs up. On the other hand 'Under The Munka Moon' contains so many beautiful moments, it would be churlish to do anything other than recommend you take a listen at your earliest opportunity.
Duck
Alice Russell's 'Under The Munka Moon' is out now on Tru Thoughts
Alice Russell plays the Sanctuary Tent on Sunday at Eastnor 2004
Written: 21st Jul, 04
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