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Dive Deep

Dive Deep is the sixth studio album by the British band Morcheeba, released on 4 February 2008 in the United Kingdom. It is also the second studio album recorded without the former lead singer Skye Edwards. It has a number of vocalists, and several songs can be heard on the band's MySpace page. The first single released was "Enjoy the Ride" which features Judie Tzuke. The second single, "Gained the World", featuring Manda Zamolo, was released on 28 April 2008.

The group embarked on a North American tour to promote the album on 24 March that started in Washington DC and ended on 13 April 2008 in Los Angeles.

Production

Ross Godfrey discussed the making of album in an interview:

We used an incredible amount of new technology for this album, but it's all new-old stuff – ancient keyboards, like claviolines. It's all very organic. The technology came into play in the way that we edited it and put it together.

Morcheeba is dedicated to the preservation of the marine environment and is using the release of Dive Deep as an opportunity to raise awareness.

Critical reception

Professional reviews were mainly favorable and positive to mixed. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the album has an average score of 63, based on 10 reviews, indicating "positive". Billboard described the album as a "gorgeous collection of folk- and blues-inflected electro-pop ballads". The Independent gave the album five stars, describing it as "A stirring return to form."

Guests

Dive Deep includes many guest vocalists, such as the acclaimed singer-songwriter Judie Tzuke and relative newcomers Thomas Dybdahl from Norway, the rapper Cool Calm Pete and Manda Zamolo, a French singer. Reviewing the album, BBC Music noted that guests "appear chosen less for who they are than what they can bring, sweet and soulful voices that supply an emotional backbone to the Godfreys' languid, slo-mo funk grooves."

Track listing

US Release

Alternative Promo Release

Disc I - Dive Deep

Disc II - Instrumental Versions

Charts

Dive Deep entered the UK Albums Chart in the second week of February at position 59, the band's lowest charting album in the United Kingdom. It was more successful on the Swiss Album Charts which it entered at number 8 a week later. On 9 February, Dive Deep entered the French Albums Chart at number 15. Since its release on iTunes, the album has had a big success throughout Europe, with many entries under Top 10.

It was awarded a gold certification from the Independent Music Companies Association which indicated sales of at least 100,000 copies throughout Europe.

Personnel

Ross Godfrey (acoustic guitar, electric guitar, lap steel guitar, banjo, piano, Fender Rhodes, clavinet, Hammond B-3 organ, Wurlitzer organ, synthesizer, bass guitar)
Paul Godfrey (drums, drum machine, sound effects, scratches)
Thomas Dybdahl (vocals, acoustic guitar, piano, bass guitar)
Bradley Burgess (vocals, guitars, bass guitar)
Judie Tzuke, Cool Calm Pete (vocals)
The Mak of All Trades (flute)
Dan Goldman (Fender Rhodes piano, synthesizer, bass guitar)
Martin Carling (drums)
Amanda Zamolo (vocals, background vocals)

Release history

Enjoy the Ride

"Enjoy the Ride" is the first single from the album. It was produced by Paul Godfrey and features vocals from Judie Tzuke who also co-wrote the song. Godfrey said, "It's a beautiful song, one of our very best, and it's about accepting who you are in the moment and not trying to distract yourself with everything else – gaining a new understanding of yourself and life." When reviewing track-by-track for Ultra records, Paul Godfrey described the song: "This song came about after a long conversation about Los Angeles. Both Ross and Judie (Tzuke) had just come back from there and when the chat ended we wrote it in about 20 minutes. It was perfect, one of our very best and the lead single. It sounds like Fleetwood Mac in their prime."

Critical reception

Professional reviews were mainly positive. The BBC website gave a positive review for the song, saying it is "...a melancholy, slightly bluesy Tzuke-sung number accompanied by weaving guitar and haunting strings". The Daily Mirror rated the song four stars out of five. "It's a brooding brew that captures the mood of dark LA paranoia conjured up by The Eagles and Fleetwood Mac, putting it in a 21st century context". Allmusic described "Enjoy the Ride", along with the "Blue Chair" as "the mellow highlight to curl up with."

ZME Music claimed the song as "...a beautiful, soothing synth pop ballad, in which Judie Tzuke's R&B vocals resemble those of Beth Ross, to a extended; it feels however as the track is over-produced and over-polished." However, Orange UK gave a negative review and rated "Enjoy the Ride" only one star out of five saying "It is no sort of ride at all, all tasteful styling and a rhythm so mid-paced you barely notice it's moving."