Putumayo Presents: A New Groove

Various Artists (Artist)

Product Details

• Audio CD (January 30, 2007)
• Original Release Date: January 30, 2007
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Putumayo World Music
• ASIN: B000KHYOE6
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #14,107 in Music (See Bestsellers in Music)

Track Listings

1. In the Back of the Car - Emo

2. Dirty Laundry - Bitter:Sweet

3. Unrock - Gabriel Ríos

4. Lost Song - The Cat Empire

5. High Up on the Hook - Alice Russell

6. Crabbuckit - k-os,

7. L.I.N.N. - Linn & Freddie

8. Hop - Bajka, Radio Citizen

9. Everything - Jehro

10. Until the Morning [Rewound by Kid Loco] - Thievery Corporation

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

For their latest excursion into the arch, increasingly mainstream land of multi-kulti groove-meister pastiches, Putumayo has chosen a more forward-leaning direction -- or have they? As time goes on, music of this genre, with its tendency toward faux-ironic, retro-glam-showbiz quotes and neo-hipster attitude, far from being on the cutting edge, is beginning to seem downright cozy and nostalgic. For example the singer on Bitterweet's "Dirty Laundry," wreathed in chirpy girl-group references, refers to herself as a "bad girl." What can that possibly mean in the industrial West, at the dawn of the present millennium, when pretty much anything goes? Did she wear fur, patronize an unfashionable tatooist, forget to recycle? K-Os, from Canada, again looks over its shoulder, this time to The Last Poets and Ray Charles' "Hit The Road Jack" -- not boring but hardly newsworthy or thought-provoking. Many of these bands seem to be playing at being shady characters to impress their friends and audiences. The tunes are elegant, studied and even sporadically barbed. But truly dangerous artistic statements tend to be created by obsessed, passionate loose cannons, not anal retentive poseurs indulging in self-conscious theatrics. --Christina Roden

Product Description

On A New Groove, Putumayo continues its exploration of new sounds by collecting tracks from a variety of DJs, producers and musicians who may have started out as bedroom producers but have transmitted themselves far beyond the confines of those four walls.

A New Groove features high-powered performances by a bevy of musicians from across the globe. The London-based Alice Russel brings her signature sound of funk and fun to the lush 70's-esque orchestration of "High Up on the Hook," while Canadian emcee K-Os hip hops his way through the half b-boy, half zoot suit adventure that is "Crabbuckit", a gem from his second album Joyful Rebellion. On the head-nodding "L.I.N.N.", Stockholm-based but internationally-known producer Freddie Cruger, a.k.a. Red Astaire, is joined by the silver-tongued Linn, who's been called Sweden's Jill Scott.

The album gains its balance with other artists who step in to help cool down the pace. The recognizable grooves of Thievery Corporation get a gentle reworking from Kid Loco on "Until the Morning" while the Puerto Rico-born, Brussels-based Gabriel Rios weds his old-school Latin roots with his love for modern production and melody on the quirky "Unrock." Other musical globetrotters, including France's newest sensation Jehro and Australia's latest success story The Cat Empire, lend their sensibilities and expertise to round out this eclectic collection of artists.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Love It!, February 13, 2007

By	Terri (Illinois) - See all my reviews

Combining the diverse flavors of Emo, Gabriel Rios, (my favorite--Alice Russell), and many more, a New Groove is an intricate and beautiful fusion of music to simply chill to. The tracks change direction so quickly you hardly ever notice, yet keep you in the groove perfectly.

A word of advice to reviewer Christina Roden: Chill out. Bittersweet calling herself a "bad girl" is simply tongue-in-cheek fun which fits perfectly with the upbeat and catchy tempo of "Dirty Laundry."

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Fun and funky club or party mix , September 1, 2007

By	R. Kyle (USA) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

Trust Putumayo to make Jazz fusion interesting. There were several noteworthy tracks:

"Dirty Laundry" got my attention up front. I was wondering where the ABC promo music for the Thursday night programming came from (Grey's Anatomy and Ugly Betty). Talk about a fun take on big (or shall we call it large) band style. The truthful lyrics about living with a bad boy are great, too.

This was also the first time I'd heard any contemporary German jazz. Radio Citizen's "Hop" has got a great R&B soul revival feel with a guitar riff that gives the arrangement a little teeth.

"Crabbucket" will get you on your feet. I'm adding this to my exercise track, but don't ignore the lyrics. How many of us have been "trying to get down because we're moving up?"

"New Groove" would be a better value for the money if it were a little longer, plus it would have more utility for me as an exercise-dance track. I'd love to hear some African and Celtic jazz on this same vein.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Music for Manhattans,martinis,and mimosas, March 21, 2007

By	Amaranth "music fan" (Northern California) - See all my reviews

"A New Groove" is,so far,Putumayo's best release this year. It can be considered a groovier version of Putumayo's "Euro Lounge" with its artists from Denmark, the UK, Germany, France, and Sweden.

"A New Groove" takes smooth jazz and gives it a beat,be it reggae,dub,or trip-hop. Emo's dub-flavored "In the Back of the Car" is a perfect opener. Bitter:Sweet's "Dirty Laundry" (which is now being used in ABC promos for "Ugly Betty" and "Grey's Anatomy")is a tongue in-cheek take on big band. Gabriel Rios' "Unrock" has a sophisticated Latin twist. The Cat Empire (not to be confused with Cat Power) has the hypnotic "Lost Song" and Radio Citizen&Bajka's "Hop" is equally mesmerizing. K-Os and Jehro use the reggae beat in their songs. Thievery Corporation, with Emiliana Torrini (she of the overrated "Gollum's Song" in the "Two Towers" movie) close with the soothing "Until the Morning",as if the album were for a hip nightclub,and this song announced the dawn.

"A New Groove" is music fit for Manhattans,martinis,and mimosas.Unfortunately,it clocks in at only 38 minutes.It's a bit short,but the entire album is pure,jazzy fun."A New Groove" takes jazz and gives it a refreshing spin.