Born CD

BORN, the debut album by the sultry string quartet Bond, is many things but certainly not a classical record in the traditional sense. And that's the point. The group expertly mines the crossover territory mapped out by artists such as Vanessa-Mae and Adiemus, and despite the hype and marketing, Bond shouldn't be dismissed as merely a pretty girl group cloaked in classical music pretension. Along with their photogenic looks, the group boasts impressive classical and pop music credentials and canny commercial instincts. The result: a big, polished production that sets classically derived themes and traditional string quartet instrumentation in a variety of musical contexts.

The album's opening track, "Quixote," is indicative of the group's method--an ultra-romantic theme abruptly explodes into a high-energy pastiche of techno-style beats, electronically enhanced vocals, and Middle Eastern-flavored colorings. The foursome shows its multitude of musical influences in the worldbeat stylings of "Alexander the Great," the Abba-esque "Dalalai," the atmospheric "Oceanic" (with vocalist Marta Sebestyen), and "The 1812," the group's lavishly produced reworking of Tchaikovsky's well-known overture. The album closes fittingly with a remixed version of the anthemic "Victory," an apt declaration of Bond's take-no-prisoners approach.

Additional personnel includes: Carmen, Marta Sebestyen (vocals); Mark Wood, Ramon Ruiz (guitar); Pandit Dinesh, Michele Drees, Chucho Merchan (percussion); London Session Orchestra, Royal Philharmonic Orchestra.

Recorded at Abbey Road Studios, Cubshack, Townhouse Studios, and Whitfield Street Studios, London, England; Oakleigh Music Studio, Strattford, England from November 1999-May 2000.

Producers: Magnus Fiennes, Yoad Nevo, Gareth Cousins, Mike Batt.

Engineers include: Rick Featherstone, Pete Lewis, Gareth Cousins.

Bond: Haylie Ecker, Eos (violin); Tania Davis (viola); Gay-Yee Westeroff (cello, double bass).