by Bret Love
Too many drum'n'bass artists rely on obvious clichés, leading critics to dismiss the genre on the whole as repetitive. Like Roni Size before him, Adam F hopes to change all that, adding some intriguing spice to the typical, skittering breakbeats-meet-bottomless basslines sonic stew. Opening with the blaxploitation funk of &73& -- chunky wah-wah guitar, bopping congas, rollicking drumbeats and all -- Adam F makes his desire for diversity clear right from the get-go. Drum'n'bass is merely the template from which he launches his heady sonic excursions, flowing seamlessly from the straightforward jungle of &Metropolis& into the brilliantly accessible soul of &Music in My Mind,& which boasts dreamy keyboards and a vocoder melody Midnight Starr would kill for. The rest of the album is similarly diverse, from the ambient atmospheres of &Mother Earth& to the strangely gorgeous pop of &The Tree Knows Everything,& which features vocals by Everything But the Girl's Tracey Thorn. For purists, there's also a Grooverider remix of &Dirty Harry& and Size's reworking of &Circles,& but Colours offers something to please just about every techno fan.