Customer Reviews

Big World Small World

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I've been listening to this for two weeks straight. The music is an engaging, dubby mix. The vocalists make this a mixed bag. For every engaging vacal comes another that makes me wish for an instrumental version...

Their DJ Kicks record is better, but this is worthy for fans.

Finally! A new Smith & Mighty album... but I'll be honest in the fact that I'm a bit disappointed.

"Big World Small World" (BWSM) just doesn't seem to have nearly as much energy or passion as their "DJ Kicks" album. BWSM is definately more reggae driven - and more mellow, which is most evident in another remix of Tammy Payne's "Same".

There are some definate gems on this album, but if you're looking for another "DJ Kicks" like performance - this unfortunately isn't it.

This by far the best of their material the song Same is gonna go down as a classic

I just found this diggin in the crates for cheap. Very happy with it. More house in the vocals than their other stuff. So nice in the production. I did get bored after a while I have to say. positive none the less.

I got turned on to this CD by Massive Attack comparisons only. I love Mass Attack and look forward to a future release. I think I have exhasted most trip-hop out there.

I'll admit that the beginning of this CD is certainly much faster, more like pop, with the lovely lemon twist of dub. Unlike Massive's remix dub CD by Mad Professor, this is less in-your-face. The vocals are the primary emphasis, and none of the vocalists are annoying and there is such a diverse offering that you are kept interested.

Yes, the end of the CD gets slower, but so what? It's still good.

So why 5 out of 4 stars? Well, I also judge how long a CD will last. I don't know if that's fair. But some really great CDs don't last past a few months. I think this CD is pretty fair game to go either way. (I'm big into lyrics and the lyrics for these songs range from good to average.)

First impressions don't matter. I didn't like this during the first two listens, but it grew on me.

Word of caution: If you're heavy into trip-hop, this is a good place to go. I like this better than Massive's first. If you are just begining this will be a decent place to start.

This deep in the genre I have to say this this CD isn't bland and certainly NOT normal. But it won't leave you breathless. You won't be ecstatic. It is solid though, pretty good. I don't have any other Smith and Mighty, but this CD helped me decide that I should definitely explore.

I decided to give this album a shot after learning that Smith and Mighty were the pioneers and innovators of the Bristol sound and influenced the sound of Massive Attack and Portishead, two of my favorite Trip-hoppers. At first I was a bit disappointed because it seemed too mellow and normal in light of Massive's impressively kinetic and volcanic 3rd album, Mezzanine.

But gradually I learned to love some of the sweet and dubby tracks. I think "Move You Run" and "Same" are two of the sweetest songs on Big World, Small World thanks to Tammy Paine's beautiful, tearful voice and the hypnotic dub effects. I also like the effects in "No Justice" and vocalist's political rants in roots reggae style. "Year 2000" has a heavy beat and a deep voiced reggae singer using strong Jamaican patio. "Seeds" has a very good message in rap style.

S&M is actually more impressive on Dj Kicks collection which includes a slighty different version of "Same" and better mixes of "Rwanda" and "Walk on By" from their Bass is Maternal album. So BWSM may not be the best trip-hop album or as impressive as Mezzanine but it is slick and mellow to listen to if you're relaxing or just chillin.

Some tracks are really good, some really bad. no justice and year 2000 were just too cheesy. I really liked the female vocalist(s). same, that woman, and rescue me were tight.

This album is tremendous. I have been listening to it for about two weeks nearly every day and I never get tired of it. I can't understand the other reviewers who find the vocals distracting. They are a perfect compliment to the atmospheric bass and creative drum patterns. The lyrics by Kelz on "Seeds" are deep and moving. I just wish S&M would invite Lisa Shaw (Big Muff / Itaal Shur) to work with them. Also Esthero would make an amazing colaborator for them. All in all, I still must say the boys of S&M are still more technically skilled with the mixers and turntables than they are with raw musical arrangement.

Smith & Mighty have bravely tried to do something different with this album: a dub album with songs (I know that's a contradiction!), so they've employed 5 vocalists to contribute to different tracks. It's a mixed bag, but the sequencing is generally excellent, and the lyrics sometimes rise to the occasion; "The Way We Feel" is nicely evocative and suggestive, for example.

It's true, though, that the sentiments and music sometimes verge on the cheesey. If you like other Studio K7 artists, such as Kruder & Dorfmeister, you'll certainly find much of "Big World Small World" satisfying.

Comparisons with Massive Attack and even Rae and Christian are inevitable ( all have drum and bass heavy backgrounds, guest vocalists, and some rap elements). I agree with the above reviewer that the vocalists are a mixed bag. This album is at its best on the tracks with vocalist Tammy Payne. Her vocals floating above the dark, smooth, and moody vibes are gorgeous. That is not to say the rest of the album is poor, just that her tracks shine. I recommend this album for fans of the "Bristol" sound.