The Orb feat. Lee Scratch Perry present The Observer in the Star House – Cooking Vinyl

<Dub/Electronica> Anything that has the Orb on it should, and would, raise an eyebrow or two of interest. Lee Scratch Perry is no slouch either behind the control booth and together you would hope for something special. The problem really is twofold when these types of collaborations come around and I’ve witnessed a few over the years. The Orb have a huge respect for Lee Scratch Perry; this is evident on the album. Too evident. And it is always the same problem. Perry’s voice is way too dominant on this offering and after a handful of tracks I started disliking it more and more. You see Perry doesn’t actually sing. It’s more of a spoken word in a Jamaican patois. Now Perry keeps doing his thing for the next 54 minutes with minimal variation. So whilst the music has plenty merit, this album is like putting a mic in a rapper’s hand onstage. He thinks he has to use it ALL the time. If only they’d allowed the music to breathe… if only. A near hit but sadly a big miss!.