Hypnotized

There's no question that Colette is something unusual in the world of dance music. One of the few (and first) female DJs to combine live singing with her DJ sets, and one of very few DJs with experience on the operatic stage, Colette brings both a unique background and unique skills to her work on the ones and twos. One might have expected something a bit more unusual on her debut artist album, but there's certainly nothing wrong with the attractive blend of house, funk, and jazz grooves she delivers on Hypnotized. Even the most predictable fare (the bumping house groove of the title track, the inevitable cover version of "I Didn't Mean to Turn You On") brings lots of deep, funky pleasure, and there actually are a few moments that may take you by surprise: the quirky, minimalist, and slightly glitchy "What You Want" is more complex than it appears at first listen, for example, and "A Little More" is refreshingly straightforward and muscularly funky. The very subtle Latin feel of "Smile for Me" is communicated as much by the melody as it is by the gentle Brazilian percussion and nylon-string guitar, making for a delicately gorgeous end to a very satisfying album. Highly recommended.