V8 Cafe Del Mar [Compilation]

The main problem is the jarring styles jammed on to this and the other disc, you have reggae, samba/latin, jazz, R&B, soul, trip hop, new age for goodness sake, the obligatory French female vocal (beloved of all chill) vying for your ear. The sum is not more than the parts here, if someone made you this compilation out of their music collection you might think it was Ok, but not to shell out serious bucks for. This particular compilation delves dangerously close to some new age soundtrack for meditation. For example, the famous Thomas Newman piano piece is a bad choice. The bane of a thousand movie soundtracks its very sad, and will make you weep into your pine colada. Then this is followed by a jolly summer day "Girl from Ipanema" style samba-acoustic guitar piece. Yikes.

Compare the genius of Thievery Corporation or Kruder and Dorfmeister for making something thematically unified, which just "sounds right", out of other people's songs. Here, however, you are painfully aware that, "now its time for the cool "French" vocal, now its time for the reggae one, etc."

Look, if it works for you fine ambient, pleasant enough for the beach, but its just not the transcendent experience all many reviews [make] it up to be. But I think the Cafe Del Mar series has worn out its welcome after the departure of uber chill meister Padilla.

There are much better choices out there, see anything by Thievery Corporation, K&D, Air etc. Oh and for summer beach listening, the more obscure "Cafe Ibiza," or anything by Costes. And it terms of value, see the Budda Bar series or Verve Remixed or any other two disc collections that give a lot of more value, and arguably a lot more of a consistent feel.