Jimi Tenor - Organism (1999) [Japanese Edition]

Jimi Tenor's American debut benefits from better overall production than his previous album, but remains -- for better and for worse -- just as wildly varied from track to track. His basic fixations with electro, disco, and funk inform nearly every track, from the chorus-driven Parliament updates "Total Devastation" and "Year of Apocalypse" to the sinister "Planet Rock"-style synth on "Serious Love." Tenor even steps into seriously schmaltzy quiet-storm territory on "Sleep" and "City Sleeps." (Though the prospect of a heavily accented Finnish producer doing his Barry White impersonation is difficult to take with a straight face, it was probably intended as such.) As well-produced and musically intriguing as it is, Organism suffers from Tenor's instinct to take on a different genre with each track, making for a few enjoyable period pieces on an album that means less and less with each listen. -- John Bush