Granted, the four separate versions of Viva! La Woman's sublime "Sugar Water" are unnecessary, but the rest of the material on
Cibo Matto's follow-up EP
Super Relax is superb. No longer relying solely on
Yuka Honda's slice-and-dice samples, the duo's sound is considerably more organic this time out; "Spoon" locks into an infectious groove worthy of
Luscious Jackson, while the live "BBQ" is breathlessly manic. The highlights, however, are the two covers: the first, a rendition of
Antonio Carlos Jobim's "Aguas de Marco" (also found on the benefit LP
Red Hot and Latin) opens up a vast new global playground of exotic textures and rhythms for the group to romp around in, while their exemplary take on the
Stones' "Sing This All Together" proves
Honda and vocalist
Miho Hatori are equally capable of tackling straightforward rock and roll. ~ Jason Ankeny, All Music Guide