About this Artist

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Editorial Reviews

This album is billed as a collaboration between Lebanese drummer Robby Ameen and Cuban drummer Horacio el Negro Hernández, and while they do seem to be the leaders on this project, you can tell immediately that it's a Kip Hanrahan production. Hanrahan's exasperating mix of brilliant sound shaping and portentous self-importance is everywhere here, no more blatantly than on an utterly ill-advised Latin jazz remake of the Rolling Stones' "Sympathy for the Devil" (with none other than Rubén Blades on lead vocal). Things do get better thereafter, though, with other guest appearances by Ann Guichard (contributing rather cheesy spoken word French vocals on "Blue, Red & White") and Zap Mama frontwoman Marie Daulne (on the very fun "La Timba Francesa"). The album's lowest point comes on the boneheadedly obvious "We've Got the Fu*k" (on which the chanted phrase "We've got the blues" is accompanied by a generic blues pattern, which then switches to a generic funk pattern over which the chant changes to "We've got the funk"), and its finest moment is the "Producer's Mix" of "Hit This, Split This," which features brilliant (and uncredited) turntable work. Overall, not bad -- but it would be nice to hear what these guys would do without Hanrahan looking over their shoulders. Rick Anderson, All Music Guide

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