Everything But the Girl
Temperamental (Atlantic)
No matter what you think of ETBG’s new outing, it’s hard not to admire the duo of Tracey Thorn and Ben Watt for the simple fact that they’re still in some form of existence, never mind such a sharp, appealingly adaptable one as this. Four years back, Watt lay stretched out in a London hospital bed, the victim of a rare illness that bundled him up in cerements and deposited him quite literally at death’s door. The fact that he’s not only fought his way back from the grave but also fought his way back to the forefront of pop and redefined ETBG is downright impressive. Temperamental continues ETBG’s transformation from folk-pop balladeers to winsome deep house duo that began with 1996’s Walking Wounded, and in many ways, it sounds like disc two of that selfsame CD. Thorn’s rapturous vocals are a tad more in the fore here, and Watt mingles none-too-subtle elements of drum and bass into the mix, but effectively this might as well be called Still Walking Wounded. Tracks such as the album’s ebullient opener “Five Fathoms” and “The Lullaby of Clubland” offer gorgeous sonic platforms from which Thorn’s voice cascades like a soundwash of sad sparkles. It’s the closer, “The Future of the Future,” a duet with D.C. deep house mavens Deep Dish (also found on their eponymous CD) that hits hardest, with a full-throttle 4/4 house groove that refuses to take a second’s break. For longtime fans of Watt and Thorn’s particular brand of brokenhearted pop wizardry, Temperamental may seem almost old hat by now. For everyone else, it’s a sweet and heady introduction. 
This article appears in November 12 • 1999.