Om: Chilled CD

What was once upon a time a truly enticing genre too quickly sank into little more than generic wallpaper or, worse, late-night comfort food, which like mashed potatoes or spaghetti is filling, but bland and tasteless. The Om label intends to shift listeners' perceptions about chill fare, and downtempo this collection may be, but bland and boring it most definitely is not. The set opens strongly with Headphonism's "Stay Home and Chill," its beats off-center enough to keep one up and alert, with a lovely funky edge to the mellow atmosphere. The Moves buffet listeners about on a breeze of synths and echoing notes, Jimpster picks up the pace a bit with a Latin beat and rapper Capital A, while Tarantulaz moves the set into soul. Stolen Identify chills the set back down with the sweeping "Morning," before Samantha James warms it back up with the housey "Angel Love." She's a bit standoffish, though; much more emotive is Crystal Stafford's "Breathe," a number awash in moody guitar and keyboards. Michael Tello pushes the set back into the house before Headphonism returns, now with Anna Meta in tow for the swirling in-and-out funk of "Guidance." Land Shark's "Slippage" is one of the best tracks on the set, splendidly pensive in mood, with just a hint of his signature sleaziness, while Bassnectar flitters and flutters about in a "So Butterfly" fashion, taking listeners on an almost dizzying excursion. John Beltran brings the set to a close with the magnificent "It Was All Beautiful," a number that bumps up against all the grandeur of the new wave (think U2) and all the brooding beauty of the shoegazers. All but three of the tracks within this stunning set are exclusives, and even the ones you've heard before sound reborn in this context. Not your dad's chillout set by any means -- far from sleep-inducing, this glittering set takes the edge off, refreshing and reinvigorating your senses. ~ Jo-Ann Greene

Audio Remixer: Charlie Tate.

Recording information: Cyborg Studios, Malibu, CA; Jax Traxx Studios, FL; ROCAsound Studios.

Personnel: Crystal Stafford, John Beltran, Monique Bingham (vocals); Robert "Robz C." Castillo (guitar); Gil T. (acoustic guitar, flute, Fender Rhodes piano, Moog synthesizer, vibraphone); Sebastian Arocha Morton (Fender Rhodes piano, synthesizer, Moog synthesizer); Andreas Allen (programming).

Audio Mixers: Uli Kaiser; Phil Green and His Basin Street Band; Sebastian Arocha Morton.