Bargrooves: Black

Yet another Bargrooves release, one among many. Like the others, Bargrooves: Black is comprised of fashionable packaging and laid-back house music mixed by Ben Sowton (the one difference is that this is a single disc, not a double). If you're into this sort of house music (perhaps most comparable to the Naked Music series of mixes -- or if you really want to narrow it down and tag it, West Coast house), there's plenty to enjoy here. The mixing is unobtrusive and the tracks are smooth without exception, with some sexy vocal numbers coming in every so often. The thing is, it's hard to keep count of these Bargrooves mixes. You'd think Sowton and company were churning them out on an assembly line, given the frequency of release and the similarity of one to the next. While none of these are poor per se, none are exceptional, either. Heard one, heard them all for the most part. Still, a nice series overall for folks who can't get enough of this sort of music. ~ Jason Birchmeier|