2002 installment of the popular dance series once again compiled by Stephane Pompougnac. Fresh down-tempo mixed with cool lounge-house. Featuring tracks from Hippiehaus, Rouge Rouge, Physics, Streamer, Cam starring Anggun, Clementine, The Strike Boys & Fantastic Plastic Machine. Deluxe box. Pschent.

Crimson Passion Cry is a hauntingly beautiful album that astounds with the extent of surprising elements it has on offer. Although the genre could roughly be described as classic rock, it must be stressed that the music will narrate and communicate a different style and message to different listeners. Never before has an album quite like this been launched on the South African market. With 13 superb original tracks, all performed live; it is a tour de force. Every care has been taken to ensure a masterpiece, and one is tempted to treat each track as exactly that: a work of art. Ren van den Berg is stunning on vocals, rendering and transforming every nuance and emotion of the superb lyrics into an audio feast. She most certainly proves herself as a vastly accomplished vocalist with beautiful depth and distinctive fundamentals that translates outstandingly. Without any hesitation, lavish credit should be bestowed on Esther Slabbert for her penmanship. Production was handled by Ren herself, in conjunction with Jrgen von Wechmar of Sunset Recording Studios who masterfully lent his touch to the final product. Elben Schutte showcases his ingenuity on the arrangements and is a young talent to watch in the future.

Sacha Distel is probably more famous internationally as a singer, and even an actor, than he is as a jazz guitarist. It was as a guitarist, however, that he made his first mark on the entertainment world. This all-instrumental compilation is a document of those beginnings, gathering 14 tracks that he recorded between late 1955 and late 1956 in a variety of settings. Just five of them were credited to Distel; the remaining nine cuts include one with the Lionel Hampton Paris All-Stars, a couple with the Bobby Jaspar All Stars, and five as co-leader of the John Lewis-Sacha Distel Quintette. The mere fact that by his early twenties he was already playing with the likes of Hampton and Lewis is an indication of how highly regarded his talents on guitar were regarded by the jazz world. While there's no indication that the world lost a future Wes Montgomery after Distel switched his focus to pop vocals, these tracks alone are enough to establish his credibility as an instrumentalist in the straight jazz scene. For the most part, they're respectable straight-ahead pieces in the cool-bop-influenced style, Distel taking smooth leads that show a debt to the work of Charlie Christian. Be aware that on some numbers, the focus isn't wholly on Distel, though this isn't such a bad thing if you're a general fan of jazz from the period, especially on the Lewis cuts, where Lewis' piano and contributions by esteemed sidemen such as drummers Kenny Clarke and Connie Kay are also prominent. Also be aware that there are no original Distel compositions on this compilation, which includes material by Lewis, Thelonious Monk, Billy Byers (who plays trombone on the tracks billed to Distel alone), Milt Jackson, and Michel Legrand, as well as standards like "All the Things You Are" (heard in two versions) and "Willow Weep for Me." ~ Richie Unterberger