Back to Mine

• Artist: Lamb
• Rating:
• Release Date: August 24, 2004
• Type: Mix-album
• Genre: Electronica

Review

Lamb's Andy Barlow gets the nod for the 18th (!) volume of the Back to Mine mix series, and it's another meticulously chosen, often intriguing set. For this one, the mood elevator is a Connect Four game going up, down, and diagonal. "Voodoo Sessions," the subtitle, is apt -- beginning with Martina Topley-Bird's always eerie vocal (what year is it? 1919? 3019?), Barlow ripples through an old African Head Charge track before settling into the boa constricting New Orleans boogie of Dr. John's take on "I Walk On Guilded Splinters." That track might stick around a bit too long for this early in the mix, but Barlow recovers by seguing via chants and handclaps into the sultry silk and flutes of Nina Simone's "See Line Woman." Watch out behind you, it's Geoffrey Holder from Live and Let Die! Nitin Sawhney's rapidly accelerating "Prophecy" seems to work better in the context of Back to Mine than it did on his 2001 effort of the same name, since it's an effective setup for the electronic/traditional hybrids of Hipoptimist (aka Barlow himself) and Hefner (remixing a traditional from Omar Faruk Tekbilek). The set shifts gears for a big finish with Chris Thomas King's "Hard Time Killing Floor Blues," taken from the O Brother, Where Art Thou? soundtrack. It's interesting to hear Barlow try mixing its introspective acoustic blues into the absolutely insane Alpha Centauri dancehall of Bug/Kevin Martin's "Killer." Believe it: it works. Barlow's liner notations for Back to Mine are insightful and often funny, and his song choices are certainly inspired. It makes for another strong entry in the long-running series. ~ Johnny Loftus, All Music Guide

Tracks

Track Title	Composers	Performers	Time
Intro	Martina Topley-Bird	Martina Topley-Bird	(1:15)
Dinosaur's Lament	Kishi Yamamoto	African Head Charge	(4:51)
I Walk on Guilded Splinters (Lyrics)		Dr. John	(7:30)
See Line Woman [Masters at Work Remix]	Nina Simone, George Bass	Nina Simone	(7:42)
Non Non Non		Melaaz	(4:24)
Prophesy	Nitin Sawhney	Nitin Sawhney	(6:13)
Sacred Space	Andy Barlow		(7:05)
Shashkin [Hefner Remix]	Traditional	Omar Faruk Tekbilek	(5:08)
Hoax (What Did You Got?)		Drome	(5:11)
Hard Time Killing Floor Blues	Skip James	Chris Thomas King	(2:35)
Killer	K.K. Martin, He-Man Broken Hearts Club Choir	He-Man Broken Hearts Club Choir, Rootsman, The Bug	(3:33)
Nabintou Diakite	Nabintou Diakite	Nabintou Diakite	(1:37)

Credits

Harold Battiste (Producer), Nick Darby (A&R), Andy Barlow (Mixing), Kenny "Dope" Gonzalez (Producer), Thomas Penton (Illustrations), La Funk Mob (Producer), Andy Barlow (Producer), Martina Topley-Bird (Producer), Nitin Sawhney (Producer), Boom Bass (Producer), Louie Vega (Producer), T Bone (Producer), Louie Vega (Remixing), Kenny "Dope" Gonzalez (Remixing), Andy Barlow (Compilation)