Bassboosa are a new London-based act revolving around the vocals of Jasmine Badir and the production skills of electronic whizz Tim Clarke. Being a good-looking couple they certainly have the right appearance but do they make an impact musically? It’s a case of yes and no for much of this album is well-written electronic music with female vocals but this kind of chill-out style was done to death in the late 90’s thanks to bands like Mandalay, Olive and Lhooq.
Tellingly, Bassboosa sound better the more risks they take. Lead-off song ‘Cry’ signifies that though Badir’s vocal range is pleasant enough, it cannot set alight a rather dull tune and the cover of Chris Isaak’s ‘Wicked Game’ sounded instantly forgettable to me but it apparently became a no. 1 hit on USA radio station KNRK so what do I know? On the plus side, for ‘Wish I Didn’t’ and ‘Succumb’, Clarke offers a more robust, rhythmic backing and his partner responds well with a couple of urgent vocal performances. ‘Lost’ also shines for experimenting with Eastern rhythms but the pick of the bunch is ‘Give It Up’ where a faster tempo and - shock horror! - a guitar provides a great showcase Badir’s soulful tones. Questions marks may remain for the relevance of this type of music in today’s climate but a strong image allied with their all-important songcraft could well see Bassboosa triumph in the long run.
Web Sites:
Bassboosa MySpace
Further Listening:
Mandalay, Mono, Cling
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