Longtime
Morcheeba fans who found their sunshine bright album
The Antidote a complete disappointment couldn't ask for a better follow-up than
Dive Deep. Making that other unloved effort seem like a mislabeled side project,
Dive Deep finds multi-instrumentalists the
Godfrey brothers returning to the murky, moody kind of downtempo and trip-hop of their early days, just without original vocalist
Skye Edwards, or for that matter,
Antidote's vocalist
Daisy Martey. Instead, they go about it
Zero 7 style, utilizing a series of guest vocalists including smooth rapper
Cool Calm Pete, alternative singer/songwriter
Thomas Dybdahl, and most surprisingly, pop/rock veteran
Judie Tzuke, who brings a welcome, folk-tinged sound that serves to connect the dots here between soft rock and
Portishead.
Tzuke's "Enjoy the Ride" and "Blue Chair" are the mellow highlights to curl up with, while
Dybdahl's trilogy of songs -- "Riverbed," "Sleep on It Tonight," and "Washed Away" -- finds his poetic musings on all things melancholy perfectly packaged in
Morcheeba's lazy sway. Special mention goes to newcomer Bradley Burgess who delivers "Run Honey Run" with all the hippie grace this
John Martyn cover deserves. If
Burt Bacharach and the bedazzling side of '60s rock influenced
The Antidote,
Martyn,
Bert Jansch, and
Fred Neil are the more earthy and literate artists brought to mind by
Dive Deep. The change does the
Godfrey brothers' music good, bringing it more in line with the
Morcheeba name and the masterful good songs/good vibes combination that made their first two full-lengths so haunting.