It’s too bad that this self-titled effort from ph balance didn’t come along when the British music scene was being dominated by trip-hop. Tricky and Portishead introduced the unique brand of music that featured a serene psychedelic sound with fresh soul singing and cool loops underlying the music. This is ph balance’s style. The beautiful and talented Pam Howe guides the five-piece group. Her vocal range can change from high to low quite eloquently, and she has the ability to set the mood of the music with soothing singing that is accentual in this type of music.
The opening song, “c’est noire”, is a pleasing introduction to the band’s own trip-hop sound which they hope to establish on this record. The music laid down over Pam Howe’s voice is well crafted with wa-wa guitar effects, grooving bass lines, bongos and other percussion, and the addition of samples and loops. The mixing in “Soothing” compliments the overall flow of the song. The group even whips out an urban funk-rap tune entitled “Kaleidoscope React”. Many tracks on the record display the great talents of bassist Aaron Platt, but none do it better than “I Want to Shrink”. ph balance’s debut album is definitely worth some serious recognition.
+ larry sarzyniak
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