Review - Waltz of a Ghetto Fly

Artist: Amp Fiddler

Thu, May 13, 2004 at 4:00 am

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Sometimes ripping someone off is the best thing you can do, which is exactly what Joseph "Amp" Fiddler has done to his former employer, Prince, and other purveyors of '70s and '80s soul. "Waltz" is an album so entrenched in its mentors' music, it could be mistaken for the genuine article. Years of admiring Stevie Wonder have left a firm, Moogy warmth in Amp Fiddler's music; Fiddler tears down the eccentricities of Wonder's production to put his own aching vocals over the basic funk chords that make Wonder's pop so vibrant. It's Fiddler's minimalism that links him to Prince and gives him his edge in the burgeoning neo-soul movement: Through him you can hear soul's greats passing notes through time.