Play With the Changes [Import, Limited Edition]

4Hero | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (January 29, 2007)
• Original Release Date: 2007
• Number of Discs: 1
• Format: Import, Limited Edition
• Label: Raw Canvas
• ASIN: B000KGGHO2
• In-Print Editions: Audio CD  |  Vinyl  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (13 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,141,675 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Track Listings

1. Morning Child (Ft Carina Andersson)

2. Take My Time (Ft Jack Davey)

3. Look Inside (Ft Face)

4. Sink Or Swim (Ft Lady Alma)

5. Give In (Ft Darien Brockington/Phonte)

6. Play With The Changes (Ft Talita Long/Harry Mizell)

7. Something In The Way (Ft Bembe Segue/Kaidi Tatham)

8. Stoke Up The Fire (Ft Face)

9. Awakening (Ft Ursula Rucker)

10. Sophia

11. Superwoman (Where Were You When I Needed You) (Ft Terry Devos)

12. Why Don't You Talk

13. Bed Of Roses (Ft Jody Watley)

14. Gonna Give It Up (Ft Lady Alma)

15. Dedication To The Horse

16. Our Own Place

Editorial Reviews

UK Special Edition features one bonus track, 'Our Own Place'. 2007 release from the London duo who, as pioneers of jungle and drum n bass, they massively changed the face of 90s music and made a huge contribution to dance culture. Play With The Changes is their first album for six years in a career that has gained critical acclaim, a Mercury nomination, MOBO award and widespread respect from the music fraternity. It is 4hero's duality of approach which makes them truly unique. This album is richly textured and musically complex. Fluttering, delicate beats mutate into orchestral excursions. Strings and live drums give way to abstract sounds and disjointed electronica. It features a role call of superior vocalists of the quality one has come to expect from 4hero, including Carina Andersson, Ursula Rucker, Jody Watley, Bugz In The Attic's Kaidi Taitham, Phonte of Little Brother, Jack Davey (J*DaVeY) and Larry Mizell (who has written and produced for the Jackson 5, Marvin Gaye and countless others) join a host of new evolving talent. 16 tracks. Raw.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Totally satisfying, June 23, 2007

By 

Olukayode Balogun (Leeds, England) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Play With the Changes (Dig) (Audio CD)

This 4hero release definitely has more soul and jazz than any previous ones but they haven't abandoned their jungle, drum & bass and break beat roots entirely. The result is an album that goes in many different directions, covers a lot of ground but still manages to sound cohesive and consistent. I believe this is the best 4hero release yet.

Vocally there's a lot on offer too - straight ahead singing, spoken word, rap - and again, it all fits together very nicely. I hear influences from the 80s, hints of Roy Ayers and I was even reminded of M.F.S.B.

Highlights include: The thumping, orchestral opener, "Morning Child", featuring Carina Andersson; "Look Inside", featuring FACE; the slow, sweeping, soulful "Give In", featuring vocals by Darien Brockington and rap & additional vocals by Phonte of Little Brother (Again?! That's the third time in less than two weeks!! I definitely have to get my Little Brother CDs soon!); the jazzy samba-esque title track (written old-time Donald Byrd/Alphonse Mouzon collaborator, Larry Mizell), featuring "original" vocals by Talita Long & Larry Mizell with "additional" vocals by Dego & Kaidi Tatham (this is the song that reminds me of Roy Ayers); "The Awakening", with spoken word written and performed by Ursula Rucker; the gorgeous instrumental "Sophia" (this is the song that reminds me of M.F.S.B.); the jazzy instrumental "Why Don't You Talk?", featuring a scorching saxophone solo by Jason Yarde; the bouncy "Bed Of Roses", featuring former Shalamar girl Jody Watley; and the much too short closer, "Dedication To The Horse", with its wailing guitar work by Dave Okumu.

The controversial Stevie Wonder cover, "Superwoman (Where Were You When I Needed You?)" is okay (I like the second half of the song a lot more than the first) but nothing special. Vocally and instrumentally, the song seems to travel the exact same path as the original, note for note. I've always believed that if you're brave enough to want to do a Stevie song on your album, you'd better be ready to do something new and exciting with it otherwise your efforts will end up sounding like a pale imitation. I say it again: it's a good attempt, it shows what a good singer Terry Devos is and if you don't have the original version, you might love it. Personally, I just don't feel it adds anything to the album and it could've stood tall and proud quite easily without it.

Overall, I think this album will appeal to broadminded jazz and soul lovers alike and if you like people like Incognito or Zero 7 (or Agent K, Silhouette Brown or Bruno E, I'm reliably informed), then you'll really get into this. Totally satisfying and highly recommended.

4.0 out of 5 stars Cool Vibes, May 17, 2007

By 

Deacon C. "Deacon C." - See all my reviews

This review is from: Play With the Changes (Dig) (Audio CD)

I got hooked on 4Hero when I heard Two Pages, Play with the Changes musically take you a ride form Neo to Class Soul, a must have for those for have mature taste in music.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Amazing, June 23, 2007

By 

Wayne A. Edwards (Los Angeles, CA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Play With the Changes (Dig) (Audio CD)

I have been 4 hero fan for the last few years once I heard the track they did with Jill Scott (Another Day). They have been known for their breakbeat and downtempo style and you can still hear it here. But they add a seamles influx of Neo-soul to the mix. Every track is pleasantly unique but the whole album blends as a whole. It is hard to put these guys in a musical category so this album will not get heard by more people, but Neo-soul and downtempo may be the best fit. Here are my favorite tracks:
1. Morning Child_The thunderous backing orchestra for Carina Anderson is anything but downtempo, but this is head and shoulders the best track on the album and sets the amazing tone for the rest of the album.
5. Give In_A Neo Soul (or just plain Soul) beauty. Vocals by Darien Brockington and Phonte fronts some sweet insturmentation that will bob you head and touch your heart a little.
6. Play With The Changes_Starts off a little kooky with the strange pitch of the group vocals and the odd music but settles into one of of the funkiest grooves I have ever heard. If you don't play it at least more than once, u don't like music.
11. Superwoman_ An almost identical rendition of the Stevie Wonder classic sung by Terry Devos. But 4hero adds (if possible) a liite bit more soul and life to this already timeless song.

The rest are pretty good also. All and all, a great album that opened up my musical ear and my mental ear. I had doubts that was any more music out there that would get me excited, but this album ,Zero7's The Garden, John Legend's Once Again and (hopefully)
the upcoming Cinematic orchestra, have done the trick.