Everything But The Girl
Eden

THE REVIEW

WHEN YOU SAY "MELANCHOLY".

"Eden". Synonym for paradise? Oasis of pleasure? Fresh air? Warm breeze?

No, simply Eden. Probably the place Tracey Thorn and Ben Watt, the heart and brain of Everything But The Girl, imagined themselves to be while recording this album, their debut work. A place where they thought to blend various genres into the same cauldron: pop, soul, a touch of jazz, African percussion, even almost Brazilian experiments, resulting in songs that Antonio Carlos Jobim, or Gilberto Gil, or even Caetano Veloso would have enjoyed. The recipe for a perfect stew called "Eden".

Vocally speaking, Thorn has nothing to envy to a Skye (Morcheeba), a Roisin Murphy (Moloko), or a Beth Gibbons (Portishead). Listen to "Each And Everyone" (the launch single at the time) to believe it. And even Watt (guitarist), when he can ("Tender Blue", the final acoustic "Soft Touch") proves to be not only a fine singer but also someone who knows exactly what it means to use a Hammond organ at the right moment ("Another Bridge"). The entire album is driven by their voices, except for the excellent virtuosity of "Crabwalk", where they can take a refreshing breath allowing space only for the music.

Perhaps this album, in the way it sounds, is truly an illusion, that something nostalgic that halts the listener's words, only to suddenly strike the heart, dragging the latter into a sea of melodies sometimes sad, sometimes joyful. If it were, it would be an illusion not lasting a second, but 33 minutes. Minutes that are unforgettable and important. Yes, because those minutes also mark the beginning of an evolutionary journey for Tracey and Ben. A journey where after will come desires for love and not money, attempts to explain the language of life, the analysis of amplified hearts, the walks of the wounded, to then decide to "temper" their mind and close a circle which who knows when it will be reopened.

A journey where everything is explored, except "the girl".