Considering his reputation as both a DJ and producer (with credits including artists as diverse as HAPPY MONDAYS and PLACEBO), your reviewer was expecting great things from PAUL OAKENFOLD'S "Southern Sun."
Well, after numerous spins, I still feel slightly underwhelmed. There's nothing intrinsically wrong with "Southern Sun" as such. It's got a suitably seductive, Eastern-tinged vocal from CARLA WERNER, and as predominantly dance projects go, it's got a more recognisably "song" structure than usual, but…I dunno…it's all somehow infuriatingly slight and gossamer light. It drifts by on a pleasant breeze and it's gone, basically.
Nonetheless, it's infinitely preferable to the other two tracks here. "Ready Steady Go" is especially nauseating, featuring some standard MC waffle from ASHER D from the execrable SO SOLID CREW that even a spate of nicely malevolent guitar volleys can't quite eliminate.
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Dutch deck spinner DJ TIESTO also submits a lengthy and really rather tedious mix of "Southern Sun" that only succeeds in clubbing whatever air of mystery the original version possessed to an ugly death. Oh well, there's still the album. Let's see what potentially promising collaborators like PERRY FARRELL, TRICKY and GRANT LEE PHILLIPS can do with their scheduled guest slots. (5/10)
http://www.pauloakenfold.com
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