Thievery Corporation

No stranger to the art of the remix, Thievery Corporation have been reinterpreting the work of others since the outset of the duo's career in the mid-'90s. Blending a seasoned crate digger's obsession with rare groove, a vast knowledge of varied mid-tempo musical styles, and an artistic vision that seems to celebrate the idea that pop music reached its apex somewhere in the mid-'70s, Thievery Corporation's entire discography might be understood as a series of remixes of classic grooves. Versions, however, is the duo's second proper collection of remixes and bears all of the characteristic elements: slightly galloping beats, dub-informed ambiance, and hypnotizing repetition.

This collection is immediately striking in the variety of source material. While Thievery Corporation has long shown a knack for focusing on obscure artists, the duo proves here that it is equally adept at dealing with highly visible music. Sarah McLachlan, Herb Alpert, The Doors, Wax Poetic (featuring Norah Jones), and Astrud Gilberto all get dealt with here. Remixes of tracks by Ustad Sultan Khan, Anoushka Shankar, and Transglobal Underground all reflect Thievery Corporation's regular flirtations with eastern themes, and three TC originals even make the cut, including "Originality" featuring reggae icon Sister Nancy. The overall mix is impressively varied and uniformly compelling, a winning testament to this duo's increasingly sophisticated knack for reinterpretation. - Cory O'Malley

The trip-hopping, echo-loving production duo Thievery Corporation already proved they were top-notch remixers with their Abductions and Reconstructions collection, but seven years have passed so another set of their fine re-dubbing is desirable. Surprising names like the Doors and Herb Alpert sit next to usual suspects like Bebel Gilberto and Sarah McLachlan, all them getting a cosmopolitan sheen with spliffed-out bachelor pad music drenched in dub being the most common outcome. Divergent tracks like the worldbeat-ish cover of Public Image Ltd.'s "This Is Not a Love Song" by Nouvelle Vague and the surprisingly finger-snapping rework of Fear of Pop's "In Love" keep things from getting stoner dull. The Doors remix is tasteful, the Herb Alpert cut is luscious and dreamy, and the version of Wax Poetic's "Angel," with guest vocals from Norah Jones, expands upon the original track's sensuality and bliss. Adding to the set's desirability is the beautifully designed and very thick booklet, which pays homage to the cover of the Beatles' Revolver over 25 pages. While Versions is a worthy follow-up to the excellent Abductions, a couple of frustratingly short tracks that don't allow their hypnotic grooves to properly stretch keep it from being the definitive Thievery remix collection. ~ David Jeffries, All Music Guide