Editorial Reviews Music Review:
Music Review
Uncut Diamond [Original recording remastered] [Import]
Giuseppe Sarti: Oratorio Russe/Gospodin Pomilujny
Music: Mou Ichido Oe Hikari [Import]
Dream Dance, Vol. 17 [Enhanced] [Import]
Brahms: Symphony No. 1; Haydn Variations; Hungarian Dances
Entre Chien et Loup: Owl-Light
Amazon.com
1-900-GET-KHAN should come as no surprise to those familiar with his previous work, eclectic as it's been. But laying a conceptual gloss (gay "escort" ads, phone-sex lines) over the proceedings sounds forced at best. What's interesting is how well it actually works, thanks mostly to the lush grooves herein. Some tracks project a haunted carnival quality, others are considerably more snuggly and sensual than the faux-sleaze concept would suggest. Ether-bound diva Julee Cruise lends effective support on "Nowhere" and "Body Dump," a cleverly twisted ode to "joy" that reveals her, oddly enough, as a more robotic Cory Daye. More in line with the 1-900 theme is "The 12th Commandment," which utilizes the services of Bree McMasters, an actual phone-sex worker whose performance should effectively wake up Khan's more hetero male audience. On the whole, 1-900-GET-KHAN has a sly energy that showcases his talent for wedding icy precision to curvaceous rhythm. Khan is, after all, German and Turkish! The end result is an album that benefits more than anything from its sonic variety and daring. --Steve Lafreniere