The Richest Man in Babylon

by Thievery Corporation

Overview

Even more similar to its predecessor, The Mirror Conspiracy, than that one was to the first Thievery Corporation LP, The Richest Man in Babylon provides some beat-heavy, languorous excursions into territory long-favored by Thievery Corporation -- namely, the music of Brazil, India, and Jamaica -- but doesn't have the hooks or the production finesse to compete with The Mirror Conspiracy. On the opener, "Heaven's Gonna Burn Your Eyes," guest Emiliana Torrini treasures her vocals endearingly, but the backing could've been taken wholesale from any of a dozen Thievery productions (or perhaps Air's Moon Safari). "The Outernationalist," a bass-heavy trip into ambient-dub headspace, sounds great too, but it also occupies the same territory as a previous track (2000's "Treasure"). Vocalists LouLou and Pam Bricker both return for two features each, practically indistinguishable from their previous tracks. (Of course, it's difficult to resist a bland sound when the bassline for an entire song, "Un Simple Histoire (A Simple Story)," encompasses only four different notes and continues throughout.) Fortunately, a few tracks on the backside do plow new ground, thanks in part to new guests: "Meu Destino (My Destiny)," with the ephemeral falsetto of Patrick de Santos; "Exilio (Exile)," which introduces Afro-Cuban percussion into the Thievery template; and a great feature for Shinehead on "The State of the Union," while Garza and Hilton throw in a few extra beats (for once). Admittedly, a solid set of treading-water productions is vastly preferred to a bad album, especially on the dancefloor. Sure, it could've been worse, but it also could've been slightly different. ~ John Bush

Product Details

Release Date:	05/09/2025
Label:	Thievery Corporation
UPC:	0792755870822

Tracks

1. Heaven's Gonna Burn Your Eyes
2. Facing East
3. The Outernationalist
4. Interlude
5. Omid
6. All That We Perceive
7. Un Simple Histoire
8. Meu Destino
9. Exilio
10. From Creation
11. The Richest Man In Babylon
12. Liberation Front
13. The State Of The Union
14. Until The Morning
15. Resolution

Album Credits

Performance Credits

Thievery Corporation   Primary Artist
Emiliana Torrini   Primary Artist,Vocals
Sonny Caberwal   Tabla
Roberto Berimbao   Bass (Electric)
Ustad Amir   Sitar,Sitar
Steven Albert   Bass (Electric),Guitar,Bass
Harold Little   Horn
Kelvin Sampson   Horn
Frankie Addison   Horn,Horn
Jim West   Drums
April Stace   Harp
Patrick DeSantos   Vocals
Verny Varela   Flute,Vocals
Javier Miranda   Percussion
Sleepy Wonder   Vocals
Wayne Wilentz   Keyboards,Wurlitzer
Notch   Vocals
Manoochehr Sadeghi   Santur
Chris Pupa Roots Vrenios   Guitar
Roberto Berimbau   Bass,Percussion
Rick Harris   Horn,Horn
Harold B. Little   Horn
Desmond Williams   Guitar,Bass
Pam Bricker   Vocals
Shinehead   Vocals
Ramon Gonzales   Guitar
LouLou Ghelichkhani   Vocals
Max Sadeghi   Santoor
Rene Ibanez   Percussion
Ras Pidal   Vocals

Technical Credits

Patrick DeSantos   Composer
Verny Varela   Composer
Bill Crandall   Photography
Emiliana Torrini   Composer
Howie Weinberg   Mastering
Dexter Archer   Composer
Chris Pupa Roots Vrenios   Composer
Brian Liu   Photography
Edmund Carl Aiken   Composer
Neal Ashby   Design
Rob Garza   Producer,Composer
Desmond Williams   Engineer
Eric Hilton   Producer,Composer
Shinehead   Composer
LouLou Ghelichkhani   Composer
Chris Garrett   Engineer