The appeal of
Bitter:Sweet's debut album lay not only in the quality of the singing and the songwriting, but also in the duo's promiscuous approach to musical styles -- a little bit of jungle here, a little bit of trip-hop there, a few touches of torch song and lounge lizardry in between. As you might expect, the remix album is the same thing only different.
Nicola Conte gives the sweetly romantic "Heaven" a swaying Brazilian beat;
Blackbird's take on "Overdue" is sharply funky and gently dubbed-up;
JAB's mix of "Our Remains" nicely incorporates turntablism, breakbeats, and the rapping of
Menez One. But throughout the album the chief attraction remains
Shana Halligan's soft but crystal-clear voice -- unlike many of her genre colleagues, she never falls back on lazy gimmicks, but invests her vocal choices with conscious intelligence. Notice how she moves subtly between a Betty Boop torchiness and a darker, throatier tone on "Take 2 Blue," and how her languid, breathy delivery cuts through
the Fort Knox Five's jerky, busy remix of "Salty Air." Not every track is perfect (
Thievery Corporation's mix of "Bittersweet Faith" is pleasant and somewhat funky, but not very distinctive), but most are excellent. Highly recommended.