Even though Morcheeba were one of the later, straggling entries in the trip-hop phenomenon, their previous albums succeed because of the interplay between Skye Edwards' sweetly sensual, airy voice and the band's correspondingly mellow grooves. Their third album, Fragments of Freedom, scraps most of their signature sound for experiments in R&B, acid jazz, and hip-hop. It's certainly understandable that the group would want to move away from the dead-and-buried trip-hop sound that defined them originally, and now Morcheeba are using bands like Brand New Heavies and M People as sonic templates instead of Tricky and Portishead. The opening track, "World Looking In," ranks among their finest, and the steel drum instrumental "A Well Deserved Break" is pretty and refreshing. "Shallow End" boasts a lilting, seductive melody that showcases Edwards' voice instead of fighting against it, and the title track is a pleasant enough piece of trip-hop pastiche. ~ Heather Phares, All Music Guide
Dan Goldman (Fender Rhodes), Noel Vine (Violin), Natalia Bonner (Violin), Bahamadia (Rap), Steve Bentley-Klein (Fender Rhodes), Ross Godfrey (Percussion), Paul Godfrey (Beats), Ross Godfrey (Wurlitzer), Paul Bevan (Recorder), Peter Norris (Mixing), Paul Godfrey (Scratching), Steve Bentley-Klein (Violin), Dan Goldman (Organ (Hammond)), William Lyons (Recorder), Biz Markie (Rap), Ross Godfrey (Producer), Paul Bevan (Engineer), Ross Godfrey (Mixing), Joy Rose (Vocals (Background)), Steve Gordon (Guitar (Bass)), Chris "Pitta" Harrison (Beats), Chris Harrison (Beats), Stuart Edge (Flute), William Lyons (Engineer), Ross Godfrey (Fender Rhodes), Chris "Pitta" Harrison (Assistant Producer), Ross Godfrey (Analogue Synthesizer), Peter Norris (Synthesizer Programming), Steve Sidwell (Trumpet), Peter Norris (Arranger), Ross Godfrey (Arranger), Paul Godfrey (Vocals (Background)), Paul Godfrey (Percussion), Derek Green (Vocal Producer), Mario Castronari (Double Bass), Ross Godfrey (Organ (Hammond)), Paul Godfrey (Mixing), Paul Godfrey (Producer), Ross Godfrey (Guitar), Ross Godfrey (Bass), Ross Godfrey (Vocals (Background)), Derek Green (Vocals (Background)), Ross Godfrey (Clavinet), DJ First Rate (Scratching), Paul Godfrey (Programming), Paul Jason Fredericks (Vocals (Background)), Weston Foster (Vocals (Background)), Paul Godfrey (Arranger), Fimber Bravo (Drums (Steel)), Tony Wall (Vocals (Background)), Stuart Edge (Saxophone), Ross Godfrey (Piano), Peter Norris (Producer), Paul Godfrey (Drums), Chris Harrison (Production Assistant), Paul Godfrey (Vocals), Dee Lewis (Vocals (Background))
Fragments of Freedom is Morcheeba's third album. It was released in 2000. The album proved to have been one of their most successful albums in terms of chart sales however critical reception was not as welcoming as with other Morcheeba albums. Mostly due to the drastic change in sound. As Morcheeba did away with much of their roots which was their trip-hop sound and in return developed a pop sound. Special versions of the CD contained a short cd-rom video of the 'Making of Fragments of Freedom' and also music videos.
"Trigger Hippie" · "Tape Loop" · "The Music That We Hear (Moog Island)" · "Shoulder Holster" · "Blindfold" · "Let Me See" · "Part of the Process" · "Rome Wasn't Built in a Day" · "World Looking In" · "Otherwise" · "Undress Me Now" · "What's Your Name?" · "Wonders Never Cease" · "Enjoy the Ride" · "Gained the World"
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