AMG Review of Essence of the Forest [Japan]

Richie Unterberger
All Music Guide

With tracks from each of their first five albums, this is essentially a Deep Forest best-of, leading off with their 1993 hit "Sweet Lullaby." Note that "Sweet Lullaby," "Night Bird," and "Desert Walk" are each presented in a "2004 Version," though it's not made clear in the packaging how these are different than the ones that had been previously released on Deep Forest albums. It's an adequate overview of an act whose music is probably too diluted for either world music fans or electronica specialists, but whose blend of those styles together with production approaches friendly to middle of the road radio has far more appeal to mainstream pop listeners than most world music or electronica. [Epic reissued this version of the album in 2004.]