Music Reviews
The BDI's - The BDI's
BDI RecordingsThis is London based trio The BDI's debut album and a refreshing album it is too. With live instrumentation throughout including acoustic guitar, congas and horns, it's firmly rooted in the sound of 70s Soul and Rhythm & Blues and in places reminds me of Traffic. Tracks such as 'Crying Wolf', 'Still Get The Same Old Kick' and 'Marathon' really hit the spot but this album is a pleasure to listen to from start to finish.
PermalinkAndy Allen, 09/07
The Beauty Room - The Beauty Room
Peacefrog RecordsIt was well over a year ago that Kirk Degiorgio came to DJ in Leeds and told me about a new project he was working on for Peacefrog which would be in the style of Steely Dan. I've been waiting in anticipation ever since and when I received a copy of the brilliant cover of Jan Hammer's "Don't You Know" I knew we were going to be in for something special. Kirk's previous work covers most styles of electronic music and his DJ sets have become legendary. I'm not sure how to describe this style but it's certainly heavily influenced by Kirk's soul and jazz history, with beautiful harmonies and strings and stunning vocals by Jinadu, which will blow your mind. Comparisons will be made with Zero 7 but with a backing band of Ian O'Brien on guitar, Chris Witten's drums and the involvement of The Heritage Orchestra, this has massive mainstream potential and the purists will love it too. So next time you're watching TV and your mum changes the channel to watch Gardeners' World, don't be surprised if you end up singing along to The Beauty Room.
Simon Harrison, 07/06
The Black Seeds - Solid Ground
Sonar KollektivThis New Zealand based group returns with their fourth album, and quite possibly their best. That’s saying a lot considering they already have one gold album and two double platinum albums to their credit. With Solid Ground the growth of this soul funk dub step band is evidenced by the precision like live instrumentation that is heard through the entire disk. On “Love Is A Radiation“, Baranaby Weir’s smooth vocals add warmth to this traditional reggae track. With “Make A Move”, the band adds a little funk, along with some nice horn arrangements as well. There’s also a nice dub remix for this track as a bonus. Overall, “Solid Ground” provides plenty of soulful, funky, reggae flavored gems and The Black Seeds prove that they can play any of these styles very well. This is another enjoyable record by a talented group that continues to get better.
Reg Dancy, 09/08
The Bosshoss - Stalion Battalion
Island (Universal)From Berlin they remind me of a good time pub band steeped in the traditions of rock and roll, blues and country meeting up with Hayseed Dixie especially on the covers they do which includes Electric Six’s ‘Gay Bar’ and Depeche Mode’s ‘Everything Counts’.
Graham Radley, 07/08
The Broken Keys - Gravity
Tru Thoughts RecordingsThe Broken Keys are a collaboration between friends Nostalgia 77 and Natural Self. With a background between them that spans all manner of styles, this was always going to be interesting, especially if you've been checking out their solo projects. As with all collaborations you never quite know what will come out of the mixing pot but here these guys have gone for funk which captures soul, rock and hip hop. I've never been a huge fan of rock but the influences in "Gravity" work in so many different ways, that you just can't help being sucked in. There are tracks for DJs and for home listening, so don't miss out.
Simon Harrison, 06/06
The Cinematic Orchestra - Les Ailes Pourpres OST
EMIThe fact that the Cinematic Orchestra’s latest release is on the Disney Nature label might be cause for alarm for die-hard fans who might think they sacrificed their eclectic sound for commercial success. While “Les Ailes Pourpres” doesn’t possess any of the electronic jazz stylings of “The Man with a movie camera” or “La Fleur”, there is still plenty to like about this soundtrack. Jason Swinscoe adeptly composes a new score for Disney about the lives of Flamingos on Northern Tanzania and creates a peaceful and elegant composition that flows from one track to the next. Each track plays like a suite so there isn’t much in the arrangements that distinguishes one from the other but there are a few standouts like “Arrival of the birds” and “Marabou”, the latter starts out with a haunting bass clarinet riff that draws you deeper into the melody. “Crimson Skies”, sung by Luo Rhodes is a nice record and is the only vocal track on the album. Overall this is a nice, relaxing soundtrack. Pour yourself a good glass of wine and enjoy this fine piece of work.
Reg Dancy, 09/09
The Clonious - Between The Dots
Ubiquity RecordsTwenty three year Paul Movahedi, aka the Clonious is more than just a beatmaker. He is a musician with an affinity for straight ahead jazz and ability to improvise with various genres. On his fantastic debut “Between the dots”, he blends his jazz influences with hip-hop samples and creates a sonic mix of adventurous electronic music with subtle insertions of live instrumentation. The Clonious abstract compositions works wonders on songs like “One at a time”, where Muhsinah’s soulful eclectic phrasings are the perfect compliment to his spacey arrangements. “Bugs n’ fools” features lush vocals on the chorus and a funky stinging rhythm guitar. “Dataflow” strikes a delicate balance between tripped out fusion and hip-hop with satisfying results. “Lovelights” is a spaced out funk gem that features Dudley Perkins and Georgia Anne Muldrow. “Between the dots” is a triumphant debut that will excite listeners who are open to a hybrid of electronic beats with a hip-hop jazz esthetic. The Clonious ability to create sounds that venture out of the comfort zone will make him a household name in short time. Get familiar.
Reg Dancy, 11/09
The Dragons - BFI
Ninja TuneAlthough recorded in the late 60s this is the first ever release of this album. It came about following DJ Food's discovery of The Dragons' 'Food For My Soul' on an old surfing movie soundtrack. He eventually tracked down the band to find they had recorded a full album of material which until now had never been issued. 'BFI' is very much based in psychedelic rock but with heavy doses of funk and jazz thrown in for good measure. 'Food For My Soul' is definitely the strongest cut on show but not to be overlooked are 'Are You There?', 'Sunset Scenery' and 'Your Way Too'.
Andy Allen, 10/07
The Fantastics - Mighty Righteous
Freestyle RecordsOn this eleven track set, the Fantastics demonstrate that they know a thing or two about making funky music. And why not? The band formerly known as Rev. Cleatus and the soul saviours has it all, the simmering horn section, the funky bass and sweet hypnotic sounds of the Hammond b-3 organ. They tear through tracks like “Don’t follow leaders”, a gritty up-tempo jam that has the band swinging and just simply having a good time. On “The Doctor is in”, they bring the energy down just a bit but still keep it funky and greasy. “Blue Sunday” shows a mellow side of the group. The track features Pete Collison stringing together some hypnotic guitar licks over a laid-back groove that features some sweet flute playing by Mark Norton. From start to finish the Fantastics provide plenty of funky grooves to make you move your body or just simply listen and enjoy. If you like the sounds of bands like The Meters or the JB’s then you’ll certainly enjoy “Mighty Righteous”.
Reg Dancy, 03/09
The Five Corners Quintet - Chasin' The Jazz Gone By
Ricky-TickAlthough the CD was released a few months ago the beautifully packaged vinyl version has only just surfaced. If you’ve already got the 3 10” releases then you’ll have most of the tracks here. Don’t make the mistake of thinking the rest of the album is made up of fillers though. Far from it, in fact we’re treated to another 2 tracks featuring the vocal talents of Mark Murphy, ‘This Could Be The Start Of Something’ and ‘Jamming (With Mr Hoagland)’ a great spoken word outing. Also take a listen to ‘Case Study’ with Okou and ‘Unsquare Bossa’, a Hammond organ led dancer. This is an outstanding album by a truly outstanding band. Be quick though as the vinyl edition is in seriously limited supply.
Andy Allen, 01/06