BJ Cole - Trouble In Paradise

BJ Cole's pedal steel guitar has been an intriguing secret weapon for electronic artists everywhere (Bent, Luke Vibert). On the album, _Trouble in Paradise_, he takes the main stage, accompanied by an impressive list of collaborators. So where does the album go wrong? For one, the different collaborators make it difficult for the album to have a cohesive feel. Second, Cole's guitar playing feels added on, rather than being an integral part of the track. Both the title track (with Trash Palace and the tabla-tinged "The Interloper" (with Fluid) feel that way. It works better on the Asian-inflections of "East of Eden" (with Kumo) or country-western growl (courtesy of Alabama 3) of "Are You Ready for Some Country," Sadly, "Alert the Sax Police" (with the otherwise reliable Bent) seems unremarkable. But there are some bright points, too: Groove Armada take "Beautiful" into a spacey journey, and Banknote Rajah goes into odd trip-hop. Luke Vibert goes acid crazy with the shifting moods and rhythms of "Surf Acid Hoedown" but it's Laura B. who takes the takes the cake with "Elle Sait Ou Elle Va." It's a beautiful, dreamy track, but not quite enough to overcome the shortcomings of this album.