Tree of Life

Not to be confused with the Maryland death-metal group, this Earthride is a slick assemblage of San Diego-based world beat musicians blending elements of mellow R&B, Latin pop, mainstream jazz fusion, reggae, and just a little hip-hop into a blend that unfortunately sands off all the sharp edges and buffs the whole thing into a perfectly agreeable but not terribly memorable set of inoffensive pop songs. Lead singer Kevin DeClue has an impressive, soulful voice, and the rhythm section swings throughout, but there is a distressing lack of heft to these songs, with little difference between groove-oriented love jams like "Come and Sit Next To Me" and vaguely political material like the reggaefied, flute-driven "Sold Out War." Basically, Tree of Life is the sort of thing they play in the anti-Starbucks post-hippie coffeehouse next to campus (the sort of thing you ignore while you're trying to read your novel or play your chess game), and is of interest only to the people who decide what music to play there.