BBE Sampler
A Retrospective
BBE
BBE stands for “Barely Breaking Even,” which might be an apt term for this label’s financial picture or the quality of the music on here. Although the good outweighs the bad on these 15 tracks only by a narrow margin, what’s worth hearing is quite unique. Amidst insipid “acid jazz” that is indistinguishable from today’s soft hits, we have tracks like Ravi Harris and the Prophets’ “Ravis’ Thing.” a jaw-dropping mix of twangy buzzes and a beat that’s deep and funked out. BBE’s strong points seem to lie with the more beat-oriented tracks. The crooners on this record may be above par for their genre, and quite soulful, but sound pale and uninspired next to cuts like Ramsey + Co.’s “Love Call,” which sounds like a party as heard from underneath the pool waters.
