Customer Reviews

The Richest Man In Babylon

5 star:		(60)
4 star:		(31)
3 star:		(9)
2 star:		(5)
1 star:		(5)

 

 

Eric Hilton and Rob Garza of Thievery Corporation are two undisputed masters of cool who have released one of the richest and most engaging albums of the year: "The Richest Man in Babylon." To call these guys mere chillout gurus is to do this duo a disservice. On this album, they've taken cafe lounge to exciting heights, incorporating reggae, Eastern influences, and African styles into their already tightly-woven grooves. "Heaven's Gonna Burn Your Eyes" gets things right with its frosty vocals from Emillana Torrini. "Facing East" grooves along thanks to its (surprise) Eastern flavor and its sitar, while the electro-laced "Omid (Hope)" delivers airy vocals, mid-tempo drum loops, and light touches of synth bleepery. Reggae gets tossed into the mix in the form of "Exilo (Exile)," and the stellar title track stands out wonderfully. Using both electronic beats and real instruments, Theivery Corporation weave together a multitextured album that cements the duo's reputation as one of the classiest recording acts around. "The Richest Man in Babylon" is more than just music to listen to. It's also music to live by.

The Richest Man In Babylon shows Thievery's style crystallised; the influences that have all been prominent on 'Sounds from the Thievery Hi-Fi' and 'The Mirror Conspiracy' are here made Thievery's own, being incorporated with Thievery's smooth measured breakbeats and synth atmospherics. The production is uniformly excellent and sounds even slicker than 'Mirror', and is more cohesive. Rob Garza and Eric Hiltons unflinching attention to detail is apparent everywhere.

The presentation has changed from 'Mirror's spying 'n' flying references - the outlook is more earthy, less technical. The CD came with a booklet of excellent black and white photojournalism images on good quality paper. The images feature people from areas which have inspired Thievery's music.

Their early dub style of 'Sounds' is most apparent in the 'Outernationist', and also appears in 'State of the Union' and the 'Richest Man in Babylon'. The title track is certainly the most commercial track here, featuring some Wailers style horns and a regular song structure.

The latin/bossa influence which came to the fore in 'Mirror' is represented by 'Meu Destino' and 'Exilo', both featuring male singing (as opposed to MCing) by Patrik De Santos and Verny Varela. The sound is lighter than previous Jazzanova-esque grooves such as 'Samba Tranquille'. 'Meu Destino' features nylon acoustic guitar by Ramon Gonzales.

Eastern music is represented by 'Facing East', and 'Interlude'. 'Facing East' features santur and tabla, and vocals, which are joined by a breakbeat a minute in.

However Thievery's strongest developing style is in the ambient-pop-breakbeat style which this album confirms as their trademark. The sublime, Cocteau Twins echoing 'Omid' is the direct descendant of the superb' Shadows Of Ourselves', LouLou singing on both. `All That We Perceive' is sung by Thievery regular Pam Bricker, and bears resemblance to `Lebanese Blonde', which she also appeared on.
'Heaven's Gonna Burn Your Eyes', the first track, was initially a surprise in that it bears resemblance to Air with it's string machine and heavily compressed bass. Thieveryness is restored by a trademark breakbeat 2 minutes in. With repeated listening this sits well as an intro to the album.

There is a new direction in the form of Liberation Front, a funk track with excellent horns credited to Rick Harris. This is a standout track.

The only filler is From Creation, and this is not bad, just dull.

Is this a better album than `The Mirror Conspiracy'? It is certainly more polished, easier to listen to in one sitting. `The Richest Man In Babylon' is more able to put Thievery Corporation in the mainstream, and this is music that everyone should hear.

Well this is plain and simple just another fine production from the Thievery Corporation. Masters at showcasing their talents for remixing, the duo of Hilton and Garza have created yet another masterpiece of electronica in the laid back vein of music that is transglobal, far reaching and innovative. Their eclectic tastes manage to manipulate Middle Eastern sounds alongside of bossa nova, soul vocals, Latin rhythmns, reggae and jazzy inflections that make for nothing short of a delightful mixture. Listening to this disc is like a fresh soundtrack to the National Geographic images of your mind.Sitars and tablas drive the beat as the elctronica bends and weaves amongst the colors, people and places the music creates. The echos of past greatness is stirred by this recording. If you liked the classic " The Mirror Conspirancy" and have been disappointed by some of their releases that are not remixed than this disc will more than satisy your longing for more. It is a laid back disc, very mellow and perfect at just about anytime of day. It has that lounge lay back and groove sound to it that soothes and satifies the soul. The dreamy qualities are highlighted by the exotic layers of music that create an ambience suited for candles and good company. This is a highly recommended disc that you will never get tired of. Each listening reveals new images, textures and sounds that make for an excellent listening experience. I've been listening to my copy for over a year now and it sounds as good now as the first time I heard it. It is one of the best releases in it's genre in the past few years. Buy it now you won't be dissapointed.

I can't believe how much I love this album. I had heard of Thievery Corporation from Yahoo's Launchcast, so I downloaded a couple of tracks that I thought sounded good. I liked them, but I didn't end up buying this CD for some time. When I got it, I was blown away. This album must be taken as a whole, even though there are standout tracks. As a whole, it is one of the best chillout CDs of all time. Emiliana Torrini's vocals add a unique flavor to the tracks she appears on, but my favorites would have to be the more middle eastern tracks. The beginning of "Facing East" still gives me goosebumps whenever I hear it. And the more reggae influenced tracks are great too, like the title track with a great beat and soulful vocals. Most of all, what I love about this album is the organic feel to it. When listening to this, you forget that it's a CD playing on a stereo, and you can almost see groups of musicians jamming together and taking turns on who sets the tempo and regional influence. It's really amazing to behold. And rarely do I find a good chillout CD that I can put in my car stereo and not feel geeky about rolling down the windows and cranking up the volume. I highly recommend this if you're a fan of eclectic world beats, and even if you're not, buy this anyways. Thievery Corporation will convert you.

It's difficult to place Thievery Corp into any set musical category -- their music is a bit of freestyle and mood, with a bit of Joycean stream-of-consciousness to go along with it.

This album tries, more than any one of theirs before, to mix a touch of Middle Eastern/Indian influences to make an irresistible sound all to itself. It would perhaps stand tall as a new age record too, but they add their signature downlounge touch creating numbers that are both exotic and frequently jazz-tinged. First time I've heard horns and clarinets from Thievery.

Minor wonder: The album itself comes with a neat 40-page or so booklet of snapshots of various people from third world countries although the the album's lyrics have nothing really to do with this (unless you include a bit of ecelectic talk of peace and unabashedly standing up for what you believe in etc.)

Music-wise, worth every penny!

I was a bit disappointed at first. I thought, "where's the classic Thievery little touches and such?" I didn't think they were present on this CD, I thought it was just a lot of tracks with singing and an overall third-world influence.

However, after listening on and off to the CD since I got it about 3 weeks ago, I can say each song is unique, and that the beats will sound like home after not too long. The CD has an incredibly earthy feel, one that is only enhanced by the deep bass and the exotic vocals. Someone mentioned earlier that if you liked "Lebanese Blonde" on Mirror Conspiracy (another album by this duo), you'll like this album. I have to agree, though I didn't at first. The whole CD is like an extension of that song, into many different-sounding realms. Not bland, it has a nice downtempo beat that's good for listening to by itself or as background music. This time the music asks to be heard a little bit more than previous discs, simply for the amount of vocals.

As you listen through the Thievery Corporation catalog, you can hear the evolution of their unique "lounge" sound. Their previous album, Mirror Conspiracy, had an immense Middle Eastern / East Asian influence (which they discuss in an NPR interview; calling the album "sitar heavy").

The fusion of classic jazz, bossa, Middle Eastern and dub sounds continues on /The Richest Man In Babylon/ -- from the simple, clean sound from /Omid/ (a Farsi song), to the complex and eerie sounds of /Un Simple Histoire/. They continue to mix diverse influences with songs like /Exilio/, which has a distinctly Caribbean sound paired with a mild electronic flair; blended with an early 70's sounding /From Creation/. /Until the Morning/ is also an exceptional treat, with a classic dub background, paired with the smoky vocals. The title track is the culmination of the album -- poignant, ethereal vocals, a thick (yet not dominating) bass sound, and a rich horn section bringing the track to fruition. Resolution, the closing track, also gives you a deep, warm string section to finish off -- which really showcases the depth of Rob Garza and Eric Hilton'
s talents.

This album proves to be one of Thievery Corporation's best. They have continually refined and remixed their sound from /Sounds from the Thievery Hi-Fi/ (which is also an amazing album). Few groups can continually evolve and present new, interesting music to their audience, and with this album, Thievery has done it again. I personally reccommend this album -- it is a wonderful aural experience.

I first listened to The Richest Man in Babylon during a half-day flight across two continents and two oceans. My Ipod kept the album in constant rotation. Worlds passed by as did the musical genres masterfully mixed by The Thievery Corporation. Clouds. Skies. Beats. The album, despite certain negative reviews in web blogolandia, brilliantly captures the impressive depth of travel that is occasioned by passing through the worlds of musical genre (rather than "world music") when sequentially articulated through the beats that accentuate such diverse vitalities together. For me, listening to The Richest Man in Bablyon retains the distinctive sensation of flying -- the pleasure of travel, the knowledge of going elsewhere, and the sensation of intimate dependence upon the techno-logical world that carry our faith and dreams. Romanticist sentiments? Hardly. Just a reflection of the worldiness of our times. Check it out for yourself.

I was on Amazon's waiting list BEFORE the CD came out anxiously awaiting for the arrival my new delivery. I haven't even heard any of the songs on the CD. I just knew anything these guys touch turns to gold in my book. I knew I would not be disappointed. The moment I listened to the first track... It was love at first sound. If you are new to the sounds of The Thievery Corporation, I recommend The Mirror Conspiracy and The Richest Man in Babylon. There's not a bad track on any of their CD's. Completely enjoyable for home listening or mixing in clubs, capturing some really good grooves on the Brazilian side of life.

Afro-beat and Brazilian jazz sound recalls a mood that no other sound can duplicate, a positive stress-free natural feeling. As with all of Thievery Corporation music, it is a blend of many sounds from different cultures, adding to it's potential.

Om Lounge, Hi fidelity lounge are my other purchases. I must say that of all the CD's I have mentioned, The Richest Man in Babylon is the best. By far!

Let the music filter through your mind. These filters classify, they arrange, they give names to what you hear (or what you think you hear). They focus on rhythm, focus on harmony, melody. If you set these filters too narrow, you won't hear music, only the sound of your intellect bouncing like a ball inside your mind. Let the rhythm take you to an exotic land far away to chill on the beach watching a perfect sunset.

For anyone looking for something different from the flood of boring mix CDs on the market, I think you'll find a hidden gem here that strikes the right chord with you.

Every land has it's own special rhythm, and unless you take the time to learn the rhythm, you will remain an outsider there always. "Joie de vivre" (Joy of Life)

Well, we knew it would be hard to top Thievery Corporation's "Mirror Conspiracy" which is surely a classic of whatever we are calling this genre now, "chill out/after hours/lounge/downtempo" etc. And this latest release doesn't quite match it, but its still a great record in its genre, and definitely a disc to buy.

For those that don't know "chill" essentially, if you want something in the background--your dinner party, your date--this is the kind of thing you put on. You can choose to focus on it or not, but it won't intrude or get too noisy or demanding. At its core, Thievery Corporation like most other chill, started out with modern jazz or jazz fusion, increasingly fused, as here, with many other eclectic styles. (Indeed the nostalgic hipster obsession with "lounge music" and martinis a few years ago fueled this craze, but, hey, call it "jazz" and its not so hip, "chill out" is `cooler'.) And that is where "Babylon" stumbles slightly.

A note up front, this is the most reggae/dub oriented of all their discs thus far, and reggae basslines account for at least 10 of the 15 tracks, and male reggae-style vocals for probably 8 of the 15 tracks. its also the most vocal of all the Thievery Corp. material. At the same time, it has the least jazz, electronic, or soul of all their releases.

Where "Mirror Conspiracy" managed to blend different musical styles and yet maintain some cohesive and magical atmosphere that was bigger than the whole, here the disc falls short somewhat. Although the songs are all original pieces, you are conscious of listening to one genre after another. You find yourself saying: "oh, here comes a reggae one, here comes an eastern sounding one, etc." Thievery Corp. does have unique sound signatures, and beats that are run throughout, yet not sufficiently to pull it together into something bigger and better than the parts.

This is odd, considering this is all original material and not a remix album--indeed letting someone remix this entire set, say by K&D or Waldeck, might breath that last bit of extra life into the disc it needs.

Indeed the transition from one style to another can be jarring, and thus even the arrangement of tracks may be off. For example, the dreamy pop vocal {Morcheeaba-ish) psychadelia of the opening track is followed by a middle eastern sounding number. It is so distincly within its genre you would be hard pressed to recognize it as Thievery corp until minute 3, when some familiar percussion kicks in. This is followed by a "straight" reggae track, then track four is another two minute straight atmospheric, beatless, eastern riff again. Thus the two middle eastern riffs are jammed into the first four tracks, and it jarrs.

Result: irritation, and I find myself listening to track 1 and then skipping to track 5 and listening to the disc from there, where somehow it holds together better. My favorite tracks are the last, 15, which has a truly magical ambience, and track 14 a reggae number with the refrain "why do have to treat me the way you do" that is impossibliy hooky. Track 6 is the best and catchiest melody of all, yet I believe, since my disk is not scratched, that there is too much of a a vinyl scratch/click sound in the mix, I presume intended to be there (or unavoidable within some of the source material), that detracts from the whole.

If chill is where you are at, and you don't want a compilation of completely different artists--which is 90% of the "chill" music out there--you should and must by Thievery Corporation, including this one. But start with their original material on "Mirror Conspiracy" their "DJ Kicks" mix-set (still the most fresh sounding, somehow); and their "Abductions and Reconstructions" mix-set (which, although mixes of others work, is so remarkably different to the original mixes as to almost be new).

Thievery Corp. lead the pack in downtempo/chill and overrall this disc should be in your collection.