REVIEW: Cornershop, When I Was Born For The 7th Time
(Luaka Bop/Warner)
- Al Muzer
Fueled by the propulsive acoustic beat and simplistic chant ("everybody needs a bosom for a pillow") of the surprise radio hit, "Brimful Of Asha," vocalist/guitarist Tjinder Singh and his multi national four-piece come close to delivering the artistic revelation hinted at on 1995s uneven (yet interesting) Woman's Gotta Have It.
While it does boast more than enough potential hits and Beck-friendly beats to attract your average, flavor-of-the-minute alterna-diletante; When I Was Born For The 7th Time is still enough of a stylistic melange to captivate - and frequently delight - even the most jaded music fan.
Kicking things off with the smooth, swaying pulse and harmonium-driven hypno-groove of "Sleep On The Left Side," Cornershop establishes a loose, straight-outta-left-field playfulness driven by sitar, percussion, acoustic guitar, deft scratching, Dholki, Tamboura, an occasionally breathtaking weirdness and a sly Punjabi folk-funk shuffle that makes When I Was Born For The 7th Time a perfect addition to a five-disc CD player already loaded with Cibo Matto's Viva! La Woman , Beck's Odelay , the Beasties' Paul's Boutique and an Esquivel compilation.
