Dewdrops in the Garden
Dewdrops in the Garden | ||||
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Studio album by | ||||
Released | July 12, 1994 | |||
Recorded | July - December 1993 | |||
Genre | ||||
Length | 67:58 | |||
Label | Elektra | |||
Producer | Deee-Lite | |||
Deee-Lite chronology | ||||
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Review scores | |
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Source | Rating |
AllMusic | [1] |
Christgau's Consumer Guide | [2] |
Entertainment Weekly | B−[3] |
Q | [4] |
Slant Magazine | [5] |
Dewdrops in the Garden is the third and final studio album by the house-music group Deee-Lite, released in July 1994 via Elektra Records. The album moved away from the overtly political lyrical content of the previous album.
Background
At the time of the release of Dewdrops in the Garden, Lady Kier had compared it with Infinity Within by saying:
During the Gulf War and Bush years we felt it was important to use the platform we had in the media responsibly. Our new album is more about personal politics rather than global. We're going back to our original concept. People have enough problems, they don't need to hear it in music. Just making uplifting music is a political statement in itself. We want to strengthen their spirit on the dance floor so they can diffuse the dissatisfaction from daily global destruction.[This quote needs a citation]
The album drew inspiration from Lady Kier's travels to the Hopi ruins in the Painted Desert and pyramids in the Yucatan and Dmitri's travels to the Grand Canyon and Joshua Tree. The inspiration was clear in Lady Kier's description of the track "Music Selector is the Soul Reflector":
It is about the love of the collective dancefloor consciousness. The DJ is like the guru, the booth is the altar, the dancefloor is the sacred ground we worship on.[6]
Most of the work on Dewdrops in the Garden was done by Super DJ Dmitri and Lady Miss Kier joined by junglist DJ Ani (On-E). Towa Tei had left the band to do some work on Japanese pop star Nokko's album and his own debut solo album Future Listening! (however, Tei contributed to the track "Call Me"). He was said to be back for the band's fourth album, which was never made.
A companion album titled Dewdrops in the Remix was released in Japan shortly after the album's release, containing four remixes of "Picnic in the Summertime," four mixes of "Bring Me Your Love," and six mixes of "Call Me." "Bring Me Your Love" and "Call Me" became their last two #1 hits on the Hot Dance Music/Club Play chart.
Track listing
All tracks by Deee-Lite
- "Say Ahhh..." – 4:10
- "Mind Melt" – 0:33
- "Bittersweet Loving" – 3:42
- "River of Freedom" – 4:06
- "Somebody" – 3:30
- "When You Told Me You Loved Me" – 3:00
- "Stay in Bed, Forget the Rest" – 3:10
- "Call Me" – 3:50
- "Music Selector is the Soul Reflector" – 4:30
- "Sampladelic" – 0:47
- "Bring Me Your Love" – 3:40
- "Picnic in the Summertime" – 3:32
- "Apple Juice Kissing" – 3:13
- "Party Happening People" – 4:00
- "DMT (Dance Music Trance)" – 4:27
- "What is this Music?" - 17:50
- The song "What is this Music" ends at minute 0:28. After 4 minutes of silence (0:28 - 4:28), begins an untitled brief hidden track, that begins at 4:28 and ends at 4:40. After 2 minutes of silence (4:40 - 6:40), begins another hidden track: it's an untitled and instrumental song, that begins at 6:40 and ends at 10:03. After a further 2 minutes of silence (10:03 - 12:03), begins the final hidden track: "Bring Me Your Love" (Johnny Vicious Cosmic Isness Remix), that begins at 12:03, ending at 17:50.
Chart performance
Chart (1994) | Peak position |
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U.S. Billboard 200[7] | 127 |
References
- ^ Allmusic review
- ^ "Robert Christgau: CG: Deee-Lite". www.robertchristgau.com.
- ^ "Dewdrops In the Garden". EW.com.
- ^ Cranna, Ian. "Review: Deee-Lite, Dew Drops In The Garden". Q (Q95, August 1994). EMAP Metro Ltd: 100.
- ^ Cinquemani, Sal (January 23, 2002). "Review: Deee-Lite - Dewdrops in the Garden". slantmagazine.com. Archived from the original on 30 September 2007. Retrieved 13 August 2009.
- ^ "Deee-lite - A Deee-Liteful Experience". Haktanir.org. Archived from the original on 2012-02-04. Retrieved 2012-02-13.
- ^ Billboard.cpm, artist chart history