CD REVIEW: Tribal Groove
By Ben Ohmart - 05/04/02 - 08:24 AM EST  

Tribal Groove is yet another winning entry from the world beat label that is Music Mosaic. And never has a label name been more fitting. 'The pulse of global harmony,' their nickname, abounds in this hour's worth of rhythmic pulse, blending 'a moving, fresh and fascinating sound-journey' with pretty much every corner of the World put into tight radio-length tracks.

If I had to pick among the apples and oranges, I would choose 'Mongolia' by Limborg as my favorite because it is somehow able to blend a smoothness to its shuffling groove, with an elegant female Chinese vocal at the front of it.

And therein lies the heaviest charm of Tribal Groove - its ability to relax at the same moment it tries to stir. And stir it does. But not by harsh house or overloading the senses with so many offshoot avenues and overdone mix that the music itself ceases to become clear. After all, your travels always work better when the destination is in sight.

From Africa to Australia and back to Native America, Tribal Groove moves with a sure precision that only a compilation album can muster. Every artist - 13 of 'em - knows his/her own genre, and packages it in faultless trance or simple World music spiced up with enough rhythm to keep a Bee Gee happy. More than pleasant. Much more than that.


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