Big Dog 92-7 Music Guide

Trippy Notes for Bass

RELEASE
August 24, 1999
LABEL
On U Sounds
GENRES
Pop/Rock, Smooth Jazz, Ethnic Fusion, Dub

Album Review

Those who know bassist Doug Wimbish from his work with Tackhead, Strange Parcels, and Jungle Funk may find his first solo album to be disconcertingly tame. Where his playing in most previous contexts has been wild, funky, and sometimes anarchic, drawing freely on jazz, dub, and punk influences, here he's in an almost contemplative mood. It's not that there are no beats -- "Bedwood," with its chugging mid-tempo groove and an ambience lifted straight from labelmates African Head Charge, is propulsive enough, "Logdrum" is based on some seriously booty-moving loops, and "Will & Skip" (a tribute to drummer Will Calhoun and guitarist Skip McDonald, Wimbish's frequent collaborators) has a definite funk underpinning. But the prevailing mood here is gently atmospheric, almost spiritual. "Glory" sounds like a field recording from an electronic rain forest; "Glorification Chant" sounds like a sort of North African qawwali variant in 12/8 time. Those hoping for bone-shaking grooves and crazier-than-thou Adrian Sherwood mixes may be disappointed, but they shouldn't be -- this is a very beautiful piece of work.
Rick Anderson, Rovi

Track Listing

  1. Quasimodo
  2. Perplex
  3. Bedwood
  4. Gangster
  5. Just Another Minute
  6. Arabic Cat
  7. Leave It Alone
  8. Veneered
  9. Glorification Chant
  10. Log Drum
  11. Splash
  12. Will & Skip
  13. Glory
  14. Daze
  15. Pass It Around