1. Wonder 2. Cottonwool 3. God Bless 4. Gold 5. Gorecki 6. Little Things 7. B Line 8. Lullaby 9. Bonfire 10. Heaven 11. One 12. Gabriel 13. Angelica 14. Till The Clouds Clear 15. Wonder 16. Please 17. Stronger

Best Kept Secrets is a collection of the finer points from Lamb s career to date--an even smattering from their four albums--their self-titled debut, Fear of Fours, What Sound and 2003 s Between Darkness & Wonder. Although geographically miles away, Lamb were an integral part of the Bristol sound with their music sitting somewhere between Portishead and Roni Size. Cottonwool opens the anthology, and rightly so--the brooding double bass, ethereal vocal and broken beats are a perfect intro to what they re all about. Best Kept Secrets is in chronological order and highlights the slight changes in direction that occurred in each period. Tunes such as B-line and Bonfire are more rhythmic than their fractal predecessors yet dirty in comparison to the smooth, almost soulful Stronger and Please from their latter years. Although the album gets comfier and more worthy of the chillout tag as it progresses, it s clear that two things remain consistent throughout: Rhodes vocals remain beautiful a...

#lamb greatest hits (2006-11-17) well what to say about this cd? when i first got this cd i had only heard the song angelica before which i absolutely loved so much it made me buy the greatest hits. when i first bought this album it took some listening to to get used to, but my god now it is one of my favourite cds, i can listen to this cd again and again. all the songs are so different in pace and melody, some songs been just in a state of pure idilic ecstacy while others have eclectic beats to rock youre socks off mostly having the very haunting vocals of the female singer, and ill ...

#amazing! (2005-10-03) The first time I heard Lamb, was a couple of months ago when a friend of mine played me Gorecki (beautiful song!) I was so impressed with the song I ordered Best Kept Secrets and it is the best purchase I ve made in years. If you like the kind of alternative music, e. g. Massive Attack,Portishead etc then this album is for you. There s tracks that are slow, and a different kind of romantic. Then there s tracks that are a bit drum and base-like. There is everything on this album, it makes me cry, it makes me happy. This CD is the one I want played at my wed...

1. Lusty 2. God Bless 3. Cottonwool 4. Trans Fatty Acid 5. Zero 6. Merge 7. Gold 8. Closer 9. Gorecki 10. Feela / Cottonwool (Filla Brizilia Mix)

An appreciation of contradiction, as described within the sleeve notes of Lamb s eponymously titled debut album, acts as the first clue to content. Andy Barlow s competent production embraces the best elements of a number of genres, sounding full even in the more stripped down pieces while working with as opposed to crowding out Louise Rhodes claustrophobic songwriting. The music itself makes for a fascinating hybrid. The dubbed analogues of Trans Fatty Acid grate against the complex beats and pensive lyrics of Cotton Wool. Whereas the haunting vocals of Feela, which absorb a simple piano movement with washes of reverbed feedback, kept in check by brooding strings. A chance encounter in a Manchester studio lead to a stunning debut...wintry vocals backed with all that is good about drum and bass. --Kingsley Marshall

#Criminally neglected (2008-11-27) The ironic thing is, I was living in the next street to singer Louise Rhodes in Didsbury, Manchester and used to see her around. The fact that someone just a few hundred yards away could produce an album as good as this is quite mind-blowing (but that s Manchester for you). If it only had Gorecki - a song that would be No. 1 for weeks in any sane world - it would be great. That song is hopefully going to get some overdue recognition after being used in the TV ad for the new Tomb Raider game. The lovely Eartha Kitt-like tone of Lou s voice and And...

# What a find (2007-12-21) I found this in a local charity shop and paid 99p out of curiousity. I certainly wasn t disappointed with this intelligent mix of genres and some heart wrenchingly sublime tracks such as Zero and Gorecki . This album has also educated my teenage son to appreciate the diversity of Drum & Bass- its definately my find of the year.

#Travesty (2007-03-30) After giving my other copy to a good friend I urgently got online to replace this album. I was curious however to see what people thought of the album even though I am definitely re-buying it. I was amazed or should I say dismayed to see a good few people giving this album 1 star. . . what?!? In my opinion Lamb are (were)an amazing duo, beats were tight and however you see the lyrics which I don t think are up for question, Lou Rhodes voice is simple superior to most female vocalists out there, anyone who has heard this lady sing live will know that her talent i...

#Yawn. More Limp than lamb. (2006-03-27) Drum and bass has become so dated it s shocking. This example is like a damp and female version of the much superior Roni Size, so obviously pointless. The lyrics and voice sound misplaced with unoriginal drumbeats. But the lyrics! They are so bad, even a fifth form schoolgirl would feel embarrassed if someone read them in her diary. There is one 3 star track, the others never rate more than a generous 1 star. And there s apparently a best of album too! Recently Massive Attack has a best of album that will prove a better slice of the...

#I really want to like this (2004-07-27) i grew up on jungle / drum n bass, now listen to mainly jazz and instrumental hip hop, with a spattering of anti-folk after a few beers. all things ninja and jazz fudge are my main listening pleasure. i really wanted to like this, I was hoping for the vibe of morcheeba fuzed with harsher breakbeats and to be honest, that isnt far off. i guess either it or i am a bit old now as it just doesnt quite hit the spot. i would have loved this when it came out, shame i missed it at the time.

1. Lullaby(Hidden Track)/Soft Mistake 2. Little Things 3. B Line 4. [Untitled] 5. All In Your Hands 6. Less Than Two 7. Bonfire 8. Ear Parcel 9. Softly 10. Here 11. Fly 12. Alien 13. Five 14. Lullaby

Three years elapsed between the release of Lamb s highly acclaimed debut and this CD, making fans of their moody trip-hop impatient. Does Fear of Fours deliver? Yes, but like many sophomore efforts, this one can t help but fall short of expectations. There is more of Lamb s full, emotional sound here, but while songs off the debut such as Gorecki and Cottonwool were beyond epic, most of the tracks on Fear of Fours merely get the job done. Where Louise Rhodes s vocals were near operatic, they are now more spoken wordish. And rather than complementing the lush orchestral instrumentation of partner Andy Barlow, the two more often collide. But there is beauty in chaos and nobody knows that better than Lamb. When Fear of Fours shines, it really shines. Take the drum & bass-influenced beat frenzy on Ear Parcel and the uplifting aria, Fly. These alone are a testament to why so many fell for this Manchester duo in the first place. --Courtney Reimer

#A worthy successor to the debut (2003-10-26) There is a saying among the more die-hard of lambfans, one perpetuated by Andy Barlow and Lou Rhodes (the central two members of the band, and at the time Fear of Fours was released, its only members), that each album relates to a part of the body. Their debut, lamb, was stomach . Their third, What Sound, was Heart . Their Fourth (released in the EU in early Nov 2003, Oct 20 in Australia) Between Darkness & Wonder, had already been dubbed spirit by those select online fans (including myself) who were lucky enough to have heard it befo...

#Been a few years & still nobody has made better.......... (2003-09-02) Ive got all three Lambs albums , Their Debute album was my best but over a period of time Fear of fours has now become my favorite. . . I make music myself so i can appreciate just how brilliant Lamb are their percussion is just mindblowing can t think of another artist outhere who produces better Beatz. Lou s vocals are just so different and a pleasure to listen to. The production and arrangement of all the tracks are superb!! Softly & Five being my favorites. . Somebody above mentioned massive attack but they coul...

#Amazing album, by far better than 1st... (2002-05-17) This album is worth buying purely for Ear Parcel a track that s got to be one of the best I ve heard in a long long time with groovy double bass, jazzy muted trumpets and a fantastic drum and bass sound. Since I bought it last week, I ve had to listen to this track several times a day. Of course, Ear Parcel isn t the only great track on the album, the rest of the tracks are also brilliant, by far better than their eponymous debut album. It s music to help you through the day. Buy it today!!

#Truly wonderful (2001-12-01) I recently bought Lamb s most recent album (What Sound) on a whim, and immediately got their other two albums. Of the three, Fear of Fours is by far the best. Accessible, experimental, genre spanning, electronic drum and bass jazz: pop music from a parallel universe. 6 out of 5 for the best album I ve heard in the last 2 years.

#Good, but dissapointing (2001-10-13) Generally a good album, Lamb have shown themselves capable of producing ",D&B with a heart",, but this album just doesn t stand out. The raw emothional charge of their Debut album (with tracks like ",god bless", and ",Gorecki",)(or their more recent album, ",what sound?",) just isn t here. There s nothing to bridge the gap between ",Gorecki", and ",Gabriel",. . . Having said that, if you want something thats reasonably bassy, but easy on the ears, with some intelligent lyrics, then it s OK.

1. Darkness 2. Stronger 3. Sugar 5 4. Angelica 5. Till The Clouds Clear 6. Wonder 7. Sun 8. Learn 9. Please 10. That Thing (Open Up) 11. Hearts And Flowers 12. Gabriel 13. Gabriel 14. Heaven

Springing from the trip-hop revolution, Lamb have proved themselves to be masters of their genre. With Between Darkness and Wonder, they consolidate earlier advances rather than invade new territories. Recorded in a farmhouse just outside Bath, their fourth album has singer Lou Robinson and techno-wizard Andy Barlow in fine form. Though the opening Darkness is a mess of burbles, scratches and disjointed synths, they quickly find their feet with the quiet clatter and beautifully blended vocals of Stronger and the smooth bass and swirling effects of Sugar 5. Following the instrumental Angelica, they introduce a deft folky guitar for the excellent and eventually storming augury of Till the Clouds Clear, and this remains in place for the intimate, innocent Wonder and mildly rocking Sun. Throughout, Barlow creates a series of blissful, sometimes turbulent backdrops for Robinson s sweet voice, cast somewhere between Beth Gibbons and Victoria Williams. In turn, she explores the minutiae of pr...

#Is this really trip-hop? Because it really seems to defy labelling of sorts.. (2007-11-18) As I saunter and tip-toe around one dreamy spiritual track to the next, I realize our beloved Lamb duo has done it yet again. And perhaps, for the last time (I sure wish it wasn t true!). I picked this up 3 years ago and I heard only last year that the duo had parted ways. It seems like they had so much more to offer but it s hard to keep two brilliant minds at bay. Like all things in music and life, you must grow, evolve and take risks in order to flourish or risk becoming stagnant and compl...

#Apt summation (2007-07-31) Lamb s fifth album since their self-titled debut of 1996 also turned out to be the last, with both founding members Andy Barlow and Louise Robinson (Louise Rhodes as was, having gone on to marry Crispin Robinson) embarking on solo projects. Perhaps wisely quitting while they were still ahead, Lamb brought a level of sophistication, lyrically, musically and emotionally, almost unique in the world of drum and bass, although this is a music that cannot be wholly ascribed to any one category. In this record they have achieved a summation of their art, be it in...

#Excellent (2004-06-18) The album seems a good step for Lamb, and shows their transition from their first two head albums and is a perfect partner for What Sound as the second Heart album.

#Between Darkness and Wonder (2004-03-16) Imagine you ring up some musician, who is well known in business. You tell him Hi, I m a singer. Do you want to work together? This is how Louise Rhodes and Andy Barlow from Great Britain got together for the creative relationship called Lamb. Louis mother was a folk singer. Her own voice is as brilliant. Andy was more into electronic studio music. But soon they found out how extremely well that matched. Their first album became one of the most important dance albums of the late 1990 s. They are very well known in the club scene and eve...

#THE FOURTH OUTING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! (2004-02-21) Well Lambs first 2 albums i thought were mind blowingly excellent the 3rd album i found hard to get into ?. . . . Now this new one im still wondering. . . . . . Track 3 sugar 5 has really got me Lou s vocals outstanding as usual the beats and upright bass are brilliant , when their on form Lamb are without doubt the best Beat manipulators there is. Track 4 Angelica an instrumental Beautiful piano affair and quality synth basses i think you ll definatly be hearing this choon on TV commercials soon. well there the 2 tracks that jumped o...

1. What Sound 2. One 3. Sweet 4. I Cry 5. Scratch Bass 6. Heaven 7. Small 8. Written - Lamb, Malone, London Session Orchestra 9. Gabriel 10. Sweetheart 11. Just Is

#LAMB continues - and gets better (2003-09-29) Following a tour in Portugal, LAMB decided to call it a day. Citing the very definite personal differences between them, Andy and Lou chose to split up - and promptly got back together again to produce What Sound, described by Lou as a heart album as opposed to the head album that is it s predecessor, Fear of Fours. Now with a permanent band behind them (Oddur, Jon and Nikolaj), LAMB have produced an almost painfully poignant, emotions-driven and organic album, with the trademark vast, often unpredictable range of vocal and instrument...

#wonderful first disc, worthwhile second disc (2003-08-22) The first disc containing the album What Sound itself more than justifies two-thirds of the asking price for this 2-disc set. The eponymous first track starts the album off on a chillingly beautiful note with Lou s distinctive voice showcased with a backing of delicate strings complimented by an infectious rhythm section which remains fairly restrained compared to Lamb s previous standards. In fact the music of this album remains relatively restrained throughout (with the exception of the instrumental Scratch Bass) but is al...

#THIS IS THAT SOUND (2003-07-21) utterly utterly beautiful i bough this album on a whim after hearing a tune at a party and thinking why the hell not. as soon as those first few tear laden lyrics of WHAT SOUND hit your ears you feel like drifting with it. i lay on my bed and had a definite feeling of . . . and relax, actaually i have just got home from work and AM going to Put it on now.

#Almost does the live act credit - warning emotional D&B (2003-04-08) Brilliant album, from the intro to what sound it absolutely hits the spot as a brilliant melancholic D&B (sort of like Portishead, but more D&B and less melancholic) album. But then you hear tracks like I Cry (I almost cried when I heard Lamb play this live - the raw emotion was just SO THERE, but the album version is pretty good too - especially when the bass kicks in), that really break the mould of D&B and hit you with lyrics that really sting. Then, for a break, there s stuff like the incredible Sweetheart - a c...

#Not as good as the debut album. (2001-12-17) When I first heard Lamb on their eponimous debut, I was blown away. The second album was good, but nowhere near as good as the 1st. And this 3rd one is more of the same. I guess it depends what you are looking for. Personally I am looking for a more dance-oriented style coupled with emotion and depth. However, I feel that Lamb have moved into a more thoughtful, poetic, lyrical approach and with What Sound they have given us a varied and interesting listen. I can appreciate this and when listening I am pleasantly entertained. ...