Morcheeba's Big Calm was an impressive debut with the same kind of dark, trip hop sound as Portishead and Massive Attack. Sadly, on their sophomore effort they have all but abandoned that genre for more of a flavor-of-the-month fusion of techno, hip hop and disco. Still and all, if this is your cup of tea, Fragments Of Freedom will hit the spot.

Morcheeba is comprised of the brothers Godfrey and a female vocalist named Skye (whose voice is possibly the sexiest on the planet.) Together they create compositions that sound like samples, but are actually original, and played by a wide array of instruments. Skye's vocals take it all to a higher level and flow into your ears as sweetly and smooth as maple syrup.

The album's best track "Rome Wasn't Built In A Day," starts off with an a cappella vocal and builds as the Godfreys add layer upon layer of instrumentation. The album's biggest weakness is that the second half becomes too repetitive. The last 5 tracks run together in one big redundant conglomeration of words and beats. It's definitely a step down from Big Calm, but Morcheeba is an outfit to be reckoned with.