After he helped craft two of the finest hip-hop records of the '90s --
Digable Planets'
Reachin' and
Blowout Comb -- it's a total surprise to be greeted by such a boring record as
Bright Black, the debut from
Cherrywine (either founded by or consisting of
Ishmael Butler aka
Butterfly). In the seven years between
Digable Planets' dissolution and the release of his new record,
Butler moved from Brooklyn to Seattle, picked up the guitar and started playing keyboards, jamming with blues and funk musicians like guitarist
Thaddeus Turner and bassist
Gerald "Tugboat" Turner. Sounding like a poor third cousin to
Sly Stone's
There's a Riot Goin' On,
Bright Black is a muddle of single-hook guitar jams, with detached commentary from
Butterfly -- impossible to recognize from his vibrant, intelligent lyrics while with
Digable Planets. It's
N.E.R.D. without the hooks or production finesse,
Q-Tip minus the free flow and smooth sound, and it's a deep disappointment for
Digable Planets fans who've been waiting eight years for a
Butterfly solo album.