Orchestra not the pits

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AS THEIR name would suggest, in this live recording made at the Royal Albert Hall the Cinematic Orchestra create soundscapes as much as they do play songs.
The British group, a six-strong trip hop and jazz outfit, are so laid back here they're almost upside-down. Think a contented version of Portishead and you're not far off.
However that's not to say this recording is soporiphic - in fact the engaging Live At The Royal Albert Hall is as warm and rich as a contented Bill Gates wearing a woolly jumper eating chocolate cake by the fireside, thanks to the 24-piece orchestra backing the band.
At times the group erupts into skittering drum and bass-influenced acid jazz, at others such as on Familiar Ground and All That You Give, led by female vocalist Heidi Vogel the set just concentrates on atmosphere.
I spoke previously, in my review of Shine A Light by the Rolling Stones, of a sense of occasion coming through on live records - and you can clearly tell here that the Cinematic Orchestra, a band very much on the periphery of the mainstream, clearly relished every moment they had in the Royal Albert Hall's limelight.