Few producers in Detroit (or anywhere else in the world) can rival the pure levels of soul that genius
Kenny Dixon, Jr. has committed to vinyl. This might make
Silence in the Secret Garden somewhat of a surprise or letdown for fans of his earlier works. Most obsessive fans of the
KDJ gospel will already have many of these songs on vinyl, either from his own imprints or other labels. The first thing immediately noticeable is the lack of trademark banter that opens a
Moodymann record -- no insults to anyone from the Detroit suburbs, no answering-machine message from a destitute relative, and no seven-minute searches through the Detroit radio dial. Instead it's replaced by an intro jam session that leads into a rework of his
Innerzone Orchestra remix of the classic "People Make the World Go Round," originally issued on Planet E. The album tends to drift and meander for a bit until it hits a bit of a stride with a beautiful hi-tech funk track allegedly from a live recording back in 1998. The shuffle-laden and polyrhythmic "Yesterday's Party" also makes for a bright moment in the
Dixon catalog, sounding a bit like "Shades of Jae" had it been reworked by
Akufen. The rest of the album drives to a climax with the minimal tech/acid house title track and the brief Detroit electro-techno "On My Way Home" and ends curiously with Pitch Black City's soulful "Sweet Yesterday," which could have easily been on any of his earlier full-length projects, and the trademark field recordings of conversation. The album's not as groundbreaking as
Silent Introduction or Mahogany Brown, but to hold anyone to accomplish that feat consistently is a bit unfair.
Silence in the Secret Garden may show more versatility in songwriting style, but that doesn't necessarily result in startling work, and levels of enjoyment will vary from listener to listener, depending on what your reasons are for liking
Moodymann in the first place. ~ Rob Theakston