Rating: NNN
Washington's Thievery Corporation are short on original ideas, but these trend-savvy synthesists know how to sweeten a successful club sound for mass appeal.
In the last two years, they've picked up on the popularity of sound library recordings, film soundtracks and the music of Brazil and India, so they've sampled textures and tonalities of each to create their own exotic background blends. There's enough going on musically to maintain listener interest, yet it's smooth enough to serve as tasteful background ooze in upscale bistros. A hipper muzak.