Faithless

Reverence (Arista)
by Lex Marburger

They do not pledge allegiance to any one thing. They revel in bringing together similar styles in different genres. They are Faithless. What appears to be a trip-hop album from the title track, with Tricky grooves and an ultra cool wordsmith, veers off into a modern pop love song (even though the lyrics proclaim “I don’t know how to write a love song,” sung by a new vocalist) with a slow funk groove and clean guitars. This is followed by “Salva Mea,” a club dance techno tune that incorporates enough soaring keyboard breaks to keep it interesting. Even with its uptempo beats, the song stays relaxed and mellow. Reverence then dips back into trip-hop again, using a tribal trance groove and throwing in some R&B for good measure. It seems a pattern develops by “Angeline,” a more “typical” song, a waltz, a song of lost love. There’s some Tom Waits in here, with his way of making a song sound traditional while throwing in unsteady rhythms and intense singing. The pattern is completed with “Insomnia,” an ambient techno trance tune. The shifting between these styles effectively keeps the listener’s attention, and additionally appeals to more than one kind of audience. “Dirty Ol’ Man” returns (now predictably) to a trip-hop format, but Faithless still has a few tricks up their sleeve. They toss in some reggae dancehall to pick the energy up a little, and follow this up with a heavy soul number, “Flowerstand Man.” By this time they’ve sucked me in enough that the music actually becomes appealing (it also doesn’t last that long). They start to lose me by “Baseball Cap,” a typical rap about non-violence. Even its catchy hook can’t save it. “Drifting Away” begins with a beautiful angelic opera soprano, some birdcalls, and atmospheric keyboards before sliding gently into some more electronica with a meditative groove. The album ends with a remix of “Insomnia” which throws in a bit more of the dance floor beats. The effect that the whole of Reverence brings is one of relaxation and peace. It’s good to hear something so calm, yet not cheesy, after having ears washed raw with so much ‘Alternative’ guitar distortion and ‘Rock’ drum fills.