Peshay

Check any of Peshay's past releases on Metalheadz or his gorgeous remixes for Galliano and Carl Craig and there's no doubt that along with LTJ Bukem and Adam F, he's one of the few artists in the drum & bass scene with a penchant for sweet melodies. His debut album is a good example of that, but it also demonstrates his versatility with other genres and tempos. On "Pacific," he simmers down to a groove with mellow breaks and sunny strings, then switches gears for electro beats and Detroit bass on "Robotics," and hits you off with lyrics from guest rapper J-Live on "End of Story." However, it's in the breakbeat-meets-juke joint jam session on "Live at 2:37," and the soul-saturated jungle of "Truly" (with Kym Mazelle) that Peshay is finest in his attempt to balance the beats with a human vibe. Even still, with the clutter of harder, two-step drum & bass interspersed throughout the disc, "Miles Away From Home" is not as enjoyable it should be. It often sounds scattered, like a mixed bag of musical photographs from the past decade. The diversity is nice, but the flow of tracks could have been smoother. Perhaps if he scaled down on the hardcore tracks, this wouldn't have been such a problem.