- 'Silver Ocean' is the work of Japanese producer Yasushi Ide, casting its net far and wide to take in elements of house, jazz, hip hop, Brazilian and soul. A plethora of guest singers adds to the appeal.
The most immediate dancefloor track is the first, 'Sweet Dream', where Byron Stingily produces a flawless vocal despite the lyrics being dipped in a bit too much honey, rescued as they are by a spiky trumpet solo towards the end. Da Lata vocalist Liliana Chachian contributes a rich timbre to 'No Colo Do Mar', one of the strongest tracks along with 'Love', a Pharoah Sanders/Apani collaboration that's tickled Gilles Peterson's fancy lately - easy to see why. 'Silver Ocean' contains several cover versions, with varying degrees of success - Ken Boothe's 'Ain't No Sunshine' sounds too deliberate to my ears, but Sara Divine's vocal on 'Wishing On A Star' is suitably heavenly, a subtle downbeat completing the picture. Ide makes use of several acoustic tools throughout the album, violin and trumpet among them, with the result a much more live sound.
An interesting record, then, not always consistent but worth filing away in your collection next to Jazzanova and Patrick Forge, and particularly if acoustic instruments are your thing!