God, I love the sexy croons of a trip-hop princess. The voice, backed up by those slow- fuck beats, mutated samples and distant feelings... it makes me quiver. Which is why I'll be your trip-hop advisor today!

So, you'd like to know about PH Balance. Let's give it a listen... Oh... oh yes. Pardon me, where was I? Oh yes, PH Balance. These groovy Atlanta kids have evidently been mackin' it in the bar scene for a while before gracing us with this, their debut album. In the Wisdom Trip-Hop Continuum, PH balance land somewhere between Hooverphonic and Definition of Sound, the devilishly delicious voice of Pam Howe alternating time with the laid- back rhymes of Captain Mudfish Starbolt (but you can just call him Mudfish, or Shirley... he loves that).

As far as the Suicide Quotient, also known as "The Portishead Factor," PH Balance walks a tight line between the darkness and the light. But rather than running to the light, like in "Poltergeist," they tend to veer off at the right moment for the darkness, like in "The Black Hole."

Let's see, what else...? Well, y'always have to mention something about production value with these trip-hop things, folks. And it's not bad here. They tend to favor real instruments over samples, and there are some echoes of funk in the guitar lix that are well worthy of mentioning. So, it's as good a trip-hop debut as you're likely to get out of the USA ('cause we don't love our trip- hoppers like the Europeans do). Recommendable, notable, competent, and listenable, it's still making me... quiver. And that's all you really need to know, isn't it?

-James P. Wisdom