Whiskey Cambodia

For their third album, Cambodian Space Project have traversed the Pacific and landed in the Motor City, to team up with highly renowned Motown Records producer and guitarist, Dennis Coffey. This amalgamation of musical styles born in Detroit and Phnom Penh is alluded to in the cover art, picturing Cambodian vocalist Srey Thy standing before a Pontiac and ancient Khmer temple. It's a largely successful, if very safe, endeavour.

Gone are the fuzzy wah-wah guitars and piercing vocals, now replaced by slick horn sections, tight production and memorable hooks. Srey Thy has become more confident in her vocal exploits, providing celestial tones that layer beautifully with Julien Poulsen's driving psychedelic guitar, most notably on the closing title-track.

Yet increased musical accessibility and solid songwriting have arrived at the expense of Cambodian Space Project's vibrant and unique character. ‘Here Comes the Rain’ is akin to a discarded 1980s Lindsey Buckingham cut, while ‘If You Go I Go Too’ and ‘When Are You Free?‘ are karaoke-style numbers that greatly weaken the pace of the record. The Motown treatment has clearly taken this band onto the next level; it's now time for them to really deliver.