WIUX : Pure Student Radio

With a catalytic album cover featuring the iconic Subcomandante Marcos, the expectations of an incendiary album contained within the packaging abound. Instead, Thievery Corp sticks to its craft, presenting chill-out grooves largely intertwined with Indian and South American influences. The problem is that many of these grooves are more likely to recall images of sandy beaches than the slums less than a hundred yards away from them. The political songs are typically a little faster with heavier percussion, but they still feel like the same Thievery Corp grooves we’ve heard on many of their past albums. RR is still a largely appealing album with many of the softer female vocalists complimenting the grooves better than their more political peers, but the traditional Thievery sound will start to feel hollow to a lot of long time listeners.