Well, first off, the presence of synthesizers, programming, and electric guitar does not
Acoustic Ladyland make.
Out of Phase, the performers of this mess, tried to have it both ways: they wanted to make "
Acoustic Ladyland," and to that end violin and banjo play a sizable role in the sound presented here. Unfortunately, in their effort to make these versions sound (presumably) "contemporary," nearly every song is marred by truly awful programming that ends up taking center stage. Singer Cecilie comes on like a low-budget
Edie Brickell, supplying bland hippie-chick vocal moaning at every turn, the nadir of which is her scatting along with "Voodoo Chile." They try their hand at a reggae-lite version of "Long Hot Summer Night," which isn't all that bad, but the terrible remake of "Come On, Pt. 1" (they couldn't even get the title right) is nearly unforgivable, as is the botching of the title "1983... (A Mermaid I Should Turn to Be" (it's MerMAN, guys. Show at least a little effort). The conclusion of the album, "All Along the Watchtower" and "Voodoo Child (Slight Return)" are anything but acoustic, ultimately utterly derailing what seemed to be the intent of the album. The highlights here are the violin version of "Crosstown Traffic" and the galloping banjo-fied version of "Little Miss Strange" (both of which still suffer from lame programming). Unless you're interested in every bit of
Hendrix ephemera you can get your hands on, stay well away from this one. ~ Sean Westergaard