Hi! I bought this CD on the strength of the reviews given for it. This piece impressed me very much. Basically, I only write reviews for CD's that floor me, and this one does that. The music is very strong, it's an exciting blend of the best sounds in music from guitars, strings, scratching, mixing, good bass, and more..all anchored by the sweet and versatile vocals of Skye Edwards(she will no doubt draw comparisons to Macy Gray, even though Skye is so much more skilled in this humble reviewers opinion.) "The Sea" is an amazing, atmospheric track with amazing vocals, violins, strings, and a cool guitar part. Great lyrics, great everything. Everything just meshes so beautifully to create a phenomenal song. "Blindfold" is just a beautiful track that is one of those songs that you thank god for. Again, great vocals, soaring strings, and an unforgettable chorus. My personal favourite track on this record is "Over and Over". This track demonstrates Skyes vocal prowess the best(in my eyes) It's a somber track which makes you actually feel. Skye is just so beautiful on this one. The strings, as always, are fitting. The acoustic guitar is beautifully sparse and hauntingly effective. The words....nothing short of astonishing: "I'd like to meet a mad man who makes it all seem sane". "Fear and Love" is another track that just bleeds honesty and creativity. The instrumental tracks are jazzy, trip-hoppy, and just plain listenable. This is a very listenable record. I can do anything to this record. It's good date music, I could listen to it cleaning my apartment, I could just curl up on a cold or rainy evening and pop this in, light a cigarette and everything is fine. I read the other reviews about that aspect and I totally agree. Buy this record. You won't be disappointed, that is if you like good music. Although I wouldn't exactly classify this as trip-hop, I would recommend this to trip hop lovers. This music is simply too good to classify with a label. It is a beautiful, stylistic album that sums up all I love about music by having elements of all of my favourite musical forms all in one gorgeous package. This, folks, is the reason I love music. Get this record and see what I saw. I plan on buying the other releases by Morcheeba(of course from Amazon!) on the strength of this recording. Get it Get it Get it! On one final note, if you like this record, also try out Esthero's "Breath from another"....VERY good stuff!

I started to listen to "The Big Calm" on a rainy night about a month ago. It has not left my CD player. It is an extremely intelligent piece of musical art. I highly recommend it. Go buy it... Now!

I am a big trip hop fan, and fans of both Portishead and Morcheeba. Why compare? Just because they are both popular artists of a little-known to the mainstream genre, it doesnt mean we need to compare them. Dummy by Portishead is one of the best and most enjoyable yet dreary records ever in my opinion. Their stylings are so different though. Morcheeba in this case lives up to the title of the album, "Big Calm" on this album. Its relaxing, euphoric, poppy, and dreamy. It is alot more mainstream and pop, and sounds alot more polished than that of Dummy. Dummy sticks to the original formula of trip hop, experimenting with lots of synthesizers and other instruments while this one experiments alot of other things as well. Although both are very relaxing and downtempo, and both can be used to relax to, Dummy is a little more dreary and sad, and this one is more happy and hopeful. They both have their share of great beats (on Dummy, best example is track 3- STRANGERS) and on Big Calm, some of the most upbeat songs come on tracks 4-6. After a quiet beginning, you hardly even notice it, but the beats get alot heavier and funkier. But why compare these two trip hop artists? They are 2 of the best trip hop bands, and they both have their different styles. While Portishead may have a little more depth to their music, Morcheeba sounds like they put alot more layers and trinkets into their music to make it interesting. I highly reccomend both albums to any electronic fan. Hope this helped!

I would like to add to Big Calm's 5star run, it is certainly what it deserves. Saying it is trip-hop is a tad restrictive, this CD is *broad*, and very, very excellent. It opens with The Sea, a song that comes over you just like the song says... "a cool breeze blows, mind the wasp... some get stung it's worth the cost... I'd love to stay, the city calls me home, more hassles fuss and lies on the phone...". Scratching and swaying delightfulness. Next up, Shoulder Holster; a fab rock-sounding anti-gun song. Part Of The Process, and dreamy country track; followed by one of the album's highlights, Blindfold - a track beyond words. Get caught in it, flow. Be amazed. Glide into Let Me See, a textured mesh of sound. Following is Bullet Proof, an instrumental track slightly satirical (?) to guns, the samples reminiscent of Shoulder Holster. Over And Over, an emotional cry - "Running through my life right now I don't regret a thing... things I do just make me laugh and make me want to drink... I'm falling over and over and over again". Friction is a laid back reggae track, melting into Diggin' A Watery Grave, where Morcheeba have some fun with sitars, creating a very watery, deep-sea effect; a "time out" before Fear And Love, an all-too-true ballad, leaving you floating into Big Calm, featuring rapper Nosaj the Great, this awesome trippy track features Skye at her most smooth. The finale Music That We Hear is a remix of the track from Morcheeba's debut album, Who Can You Trust?, with great guitars from Ross.

G O G E T I T !

I have had this album on high rotation for over a year, and I am still not sick of it. Its not as depressing and dark sounding as Portishead or Tricky (tho I like them too) - just a very mellow sound that carries you along... Great for driving or working...