The Richest Man In Babylon
by: Thievery Corporation
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Thievery Corporation's Eric Hilton and Rob Garza have always treated the line between acoustic and electronic music as a drunken sailor might, unpredictably falling on one side or the other with equal frequency. By this measure, The Richest Man in Babylon is their soberest effort to date, striding confidently into jazz, soul, world beat, and other styles with a direct, reverential approach. The band's last record, Sounds from the Verve Hi-Fi, featured a set of classic jazz tunes unadorned with remixes or reinterpretation. But the songs on Babylon are originals, incorporating not just jazz but Afro-beat, Brazilian dance, Persian and Indian music, reggae, and psychedelia, all while making expert use of new and old collaborators like Sleepy Wonder, Lou Lou, and Shinehead. Icelandic singer Emiliana Torrini makes an instant impression on the first track, "Heaven's Gonna Burn Your Eyes," her voice freeing the song's melody and structure with just a few hypnotic bars. It's hard to call this an electronic record at all; even their dub-influenced tracks miss a certain studio sheen, as if Hilton and Garza simply waded into a sweltering Jamaican beach party and hit record. But while it misses the ambient, ethereal edge that made The Mirror Conspiracy a downtempo classic, Babylon satisfies with organic energy and tasteful eclecticism. --Matthew Cooke
Album Description:
Rob Garza and Eric Hilton consider it their mostintrospective work to date. Existing somewhere betweenrock, dub, psychedelic, Latin, and electronic music, this2002 album finds the duo elevating their signature soundwith more contemplative and thought-provoking songwriter.The jewel case is housed in a slipcase along with a 40-pageblack & white photo booklet. Eighteenth Street Lounge.2002.
Thievery Corporation's Eric Hilton and Rob Garza have always treated the line between acoustic and electronic music as a drunken sailor might, unpredictably falling on one side or the other with equal frequency. By this measure, The Richest Man in Babylon is their soberest effort to date, striding confidently into jazz, soul, world beat, and other styles with a direct, reverential approach. The band's last record, Sounds from the Verve Hi-Fi, featured a set of classic jazz tunes unadorned with remixes or reinterpretation. But the songs on Babylon are originals, incorporating not just jazz but Afro-beat, Brazilian dance, Persian and Indian music, reggae, and psychedelia, all while making expert use of new and old collaborators like Sleepy Wonder, Lou Lou, and Shinehead. Icelandic singer Emiliana Torrini makes an instant impression on the first track, "Heaven's Gonna Burn Your Eyes," her voice freeing the song's melody and structure with just a few hypnotic bars. It's hard to call this an electronic record at all; even their dub-influenced tracks miss a certain studio sheen, as if Hilton and Garza simply waded into a sweltering Jamaican beach party and hit record. But while it misses the ambient, ethereal edge that made The Mirror Conspiracy a downtempo classic, Babylon satisfies with organic energy and tasteful eclecticism. --Matthew Cooke
Album Description:
Rob Garza and Eric Hilton consider it their mostintrospective work to date. Existing somewhere betweenrock, dub, psychedelic, Latin, and electronic music, this2002 album finds the duo elevating their signature soundwith more contemplative and thought-provoking songwriter.The jewel case is housed in a slipcase along with a 40-pageblack & white photo booklet. Eighteenth Street Lounge.2002.
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Customer Reviews
Average Rating:
Rating: 
- a personal opinion
Nice tunes but somehow not as funky as I thought - would want to listen to someone who knows the best of their music and what they recommend.
Rating: - The lounge duo broaden their sound from background noodling to more overt stylings
Released in 2002, THE RICHEST MAN IN BABYLON is the third album and second mature effort by Washington D.C.-based lounge duo Thievery Corporation. Eric Hilton and Rob Garza specialize in a globalist chillout style that, from a musical standpoint, is pretty insubstantial fluff but which works quite well in the background for setting the mood. In common with their last album THE MIRROR CONSPIRACY, we find French vocals over a sitar ("Un Simple Histoire") and samba stylings ("Meu Destino"). There are ... Read More
Rating: - ElectronicLounge Music.
Thievery Corporation is the DJ duo of Rob Garza and Eric Hilton, and their music is a fusion of dub, acid jazz, Indian classical dance music, rap, reggae, and Brazilian (bossa nova), with a downtempo-chillout lounge quality. The Richest Man in Babylon is their third album, and features vocalists from around the world (Iceland, Jamaica, France) including Emiliana Torrini, LouLou, Pam Bricker, Latin singers and several Jamaican rappers. Tracks include:
1. Heaven's Gonna Burn Your Eyes (4:10) ... Read More
Rating: 
- Metro Bars and Hip Hotels
A friend suggested this album to me when I complimented the Hotel Costes #6 CD he was playing.He pegged it, knowing exactly what I was looking for.This collection allows me to transcend where I am, ease into a different realm of musical intricacy, varied rhythms, and compelling voice instruments, to a place where I can focus on just the music, or let it provide a background for whatever I am doing.It is definite mood music, for a variety of activities.Sexy, haunting, relaxing and uplifting at the ... Read More
Rating: - Exceptional fusion.
Words cannot fully describe the vibes that emerge through the sound of this CD. I first heard it at a Microsoft conference in Virginia. Before the speaker took stage, The Richest Man in Babylon had captivated the audience. Something only a Thiethery Cororation could do. Immagine a group of highly thinkers in the world standing still; Absolutely mesmerized by a mystical fusion of JazzBigBandElectroCeltic sound. It was so ooooo relaxing; so oooo captivating that Igot off my seat, walked to the ... Read More
- a personal opinionNice tunes but somehow not as funky as I thought - would want to listen to someone who knows the best of their music and what they recommend.
- The lounge duo broaden their sound from background noodling to more overt stylingsReleased in 2002, THE RICHEST MAN IN BABYLON is the third album and second mature effort by Washington D.C.-based lounge duo Thievery Corporation. Eric Hilton and Rob Garza specialize in a globalist chillout style that, from a musical standpoint, is pretty insubstantial fluff but which works quite well in the background for setting the mood. In common with their last album THE MIRROR CONSPIRACY, we find French vocals over a sitar ("Un Simple Histoire") and samba stylings ("Meu Destino"). There are ... Read More
- ElectronicLounge Music.Thievery Corporation is the DJ duo of Rob Garza and Eric Hilton, and their music is a fusion of dub, acid jazz, Indian classical dance music, rap, reggae, and Brazilian (bossa nova), with a downtempo-chillout lounge quality. The Richest Man in Babylon is their third album, and features vocalists from around the world (Iceland, Jamaica, France) including Emiliana Torrini, LouLou, Pam Bricker, Latin singers and several Jamaican rappers. Tracks include:
1. Heaven's Gonna Burn Your Eyes (4:10) ... Read More
- Metro Bars and Hip HotelsA friend suggested this album to me when I complimented the Hotel Costes #6 CD he was playing.He pegged it, knowing exactly what I was looking for.This collection allows me to transcend where I am, ease into a different realm of musical intricacy, varied rhythms, and compelling voice instruments, to a place where I can focus on just the music, or let it provide a background for whatever I am doing.It is definite mood music, for a variety of activities.Sexy, haunting, relaxing and uplifting at the ... Read More
- Exceptional fusion.Words cannot fully describe the vibes that emerge through the sound of this CD. I first heard it at a Microsoft conference in Virginia. Before the speaker took stage, The Richest Man in Babylon had captivated the audience. Something only a Thiethery Cororation could do. Immagine a group of highly thinkers in the world standing still; Absolutely mesmerized by a mystical fusion of JazzBigBandElectroCeltic sound. It was so ooooo relaxing; so oooo captivating that Igot off my seat, walked to the ... Read More
