Monday, January 11, 2016

NEW RELEASES: ENNIO MORRICONE – THE HATEFUL EIGHT; THE FOREIGH EXCHANGE - TALES FROM THE LAND OF MILK AND HONEY; YOU NEED THIS: A JOURNEY INTO DEEP JAZZ (VARIOUS ARTISTS)

ENNIO MORRICONE – THE HATEFUL EIGHT

Director Quentin Tarantino has drawn plenty of inspiration from the music of Ennio Morricone over the years – either using short passages of older Morricone music in his films, or evoking the substance and style of the maestro in the way he uses sounds from other sources too! So it's only fitting that this time around, the pair are finally brought together fully – as Morricone turns out one of his best soundtracks in years for Tarantino's Hateful Eight – a brooding, suspenseful tale that owes plenty to the western generation that first sprung Morricone to global fame! Yet as with most of Ennio's best work, the style here is something that goes far beyond expectation – orchestrations that take on a style completely their own – with instrumental elements that have stronger focus amidst the larger charts, and a sense of mood and color here that's completely sublime. The record is mostly music from Morricone – written for the film – and features a few passages of dialogue from the movie, plus just a few additional tracks by The White Stripes, Roy Orbison, and David Hess. Yet it's more than fair to think of this as a complete score by Morricone – very different than the usual compilation-style soundtracks we've had before from Tarantino. ~ Dusty Groove


THE FOREIGH EXCHANGE - TALES FROM THE LAND OF MILK AND HONEY

The deepest work yet from Foreign Exchange – and as hard as it is for us to believe, a record that unofficially kicks off the second decade of the one-time transatlantic partnership of Nicolay and Phonte – which has evolved into a bonafide indie soul supergroup with Zo!, Tamisha Waden and Carmen Rodgers! Tales From The Land Of Milk And Honey is as full of life as anything we've heard from them, and honestly, a record we'll be able to keep coming back to for years. On the production front, Nicolay has found a way to pay homage to the past half century of breezy soul and R&B, club grooves, bossa and more, and distill it all into a fairly tight sound that belongs to FE+. Phonte is as vocally charismatic on his cuts as ever, whether he's playing it straight, or just having a little bit of fun – like when he's affecting a British accent on "Asking For A Friend" – and the women's voices are never less than beautiful, on both the lead vocal turns and the hooks. Includes "Milk And Honey", "Work It To The Top", "Truce", "Disappear", "Sevenths And Ninths", "Asking ForA Friend", "Body", "As Fast As You Can", "Face In The Reflection" and "Until The Dawn (Milk And Honey Pt II)". ~ Dusty Groove

YOU NEED THIS: A JOURNEY INTO DEEP JAZZ (VARIOUS ARTISTS)

A brilliant collection of soulful jazz – one that has way more to offer than you might guess from its unassuming title and cover! The whole thing looks a bit oblique, but inside the music is full of deep color and life – a treasure trove of more spiritual sounds from the jazz scenes of the 60s, 70s, and early 80s – and put together in a way that draws lines between artists and records you might not normally expect in each other's company! All tracks are nice and long, and there's a mix of soaring styles, acoustic combos, and a few electric elements at play – plus a bit of vocals here and there, although the main focus of the set is instrumental. Titles include "He's Gone" by Charles Greenlee, "Pavanne" by James Clay, "Greasy Sunday" by Triton, "Anastasie Oh Ma Cherie" by Yves Laferriere, "Circles" by M'Boom, "Saudi" by Lenny McBrowne & The Four Souls, "Going Home" by James Stubblefield, "Bornless One" by Terry Plumeri, and "Bleecker Street" by Stanton Davis. (Pressed on nice heavy vinyl – and not on CD!) ~ Dusty Groove


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