Neneh Cherry & the Thing

She's still one of the finest women in the world at age 48, but the best thing about Neneh Cherry is that she won't be pinned down. Her 1989 debut, Raw Like Sushi, and its 1993 follow-up, Homebrew, were career-defining watersheds, while 1996's disappointing, alt-rock-influenced Man didn't receive a North American release. More than a few were waiting with bated breath for Cherry's studio return, with this past June's The Cherry Thing, an album of originals and covers with an equally idiosyncratic jazz trio named after a composition by her stepfather, free-jazz trumpeter Don Cherry. Neneh's kept Don's adventurous spirit alive and if you haven't copped The Cherry Thing yet, do yourself a favour and get it. If you already have The Cherry Thing, the remixes by the likes of Jim O'Rourke, Four Tet and Carmen Villain, among others, make an interesting companion piece. Four Tet's take on "Dream Baby Dream" is fittingly celestial, making fine use of Cherry's vocals and the Thing's cosmic instrumentation, while Carmen Villain's take on "What Reason Could I Give" is a downtempo, haunting treat.