Search - Supreme Beings Of Leisure :: Divine Operating System

Jax M. (Destructa) from SAN JOSE, CA
Reviewed on 5/2/2007...

may contain bonus DVD

SBOL--back to the future!

J. Lund | SoCal, USA | 09/18/2002

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Although there are a few personnel changes, this second SBOL album smoothly builds upon their debut. I've never heard of this group being compared to Pizzicato Five, but on a number of the tracks SBOL shows a similar knack for fusing retro-pop musical elements with contemporary production (samples, MIDI programming, turntables, etc.). On several cuts the resemblance to P5 is too close to call (that is, until vocalist Geri Soriano-Lightwood begins singing). I don't want to make too much of the P5/SBOL comparison though, because for the most part SBOL twists pop's past and present into a distinctive, fluid style of their own. At times the music is aligned with such recent musical trends such as trip-hop (e.g., SO MUCH MORE). Yet there are a lot of fresh nods to 1970s funk and r&b, from vocoder vocals to wah-wah guitars, cool string arrangements, and rhythms that at times find a middle-ground between funk and disco (e.g., DIVINE, TOUCH ME). If you are the type who likes to dissect lyrics, probably SBOL is going leave a little bit to be desired, even if the words are hardly lightweight (e.g. GHETTO). Even so, the focus is on song structures rather than extended grooves, being that most of the tracks clock in at around 4 minutes. Perhaps the key to SBOL's distinctiveness is the balance between the often witty arrangements and Geri's smooth, soulful vocals. The results show that the group doesn't take itself too seriously, but not too lightly either. Recommended if you liked the first album, and also if you want to hear well-sung, smooth-grooving music that creatively bridges 1970s r&b/soul/funk with today's production techniques. Perhaps my strongest endorsement is that I've had the CD for 5 days and played it at least that many times, with no signs that I'm going to let up anytime soon!"

Beautiful and brainy

J. Hawke | Chicago, IL USA | 01/04/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This CD is fantastic. I love every track on the album; when was the last time every track on a CD was great?



The music is instrumentally creative, very danceable, zippy but with intelligent lyrics, a little angsty, and very sexy. I'm not a musicologist, but if I had to come up with a phrase to describe what this album offers, I'd say "sensual funk lounge." A blend of world, 70s, sensual jazz, hip hop, lounge, and dance, the music on this album can't be stuffed into any one easy category. What this music can do is get your body moving. Be prepared to burn some calories when you put this one on.





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