Monday, October 03, 2016

NEW RELEASES: INCOGNITO – CLASSIC ALBUM SERIES; SOUL TOGETHERNESS 2016; ANDREW CYRILLE / BILL MCHENRY – PROXIMITY

INCOGNITO – CLASSIC ALBUM SERIES: WHO NEEDS LOVE / ADVENTURES IN BLACK SUNSHINE / ELEVEN (PLUS BONUS TRACKS)

Three great albums from Incognito – served up at a mighty nice price, and with bonus tracks too! Who Needs Love is a gem from over a decade ago – and Jean-Paul "Bluey" Maunick pulled out all the stops on this set – working with a range of vocalists that includes Joy Rose, Kelli Sae, Tony Momrelle, Joy Malcolm, and Brazilian soul legend Ed Motta! The range of voices on the set really gives it a lot of depth – moving past the easy jazz funk moments of earlier sets, and going for an all-solid, all-soulful approach that really blows our mind! Great stuff all the way through – maybe their best album in years – and a record you'll be playing into the next decade. Titles include "Morning Sun", "Who Needs Love", "Stone Cold Heart", "Where Love Shines", "Blue", "Fly", "If You Want My Love", and "Cada Dia". On Adventures In Black Sunshine, the groove is sweetly soulful, with a jazzy undercurrent that hearkens back to the best west coast soul of the 70s – and Bluey's got the group honed to perfection, playing with a razor-sharp edge that keeps the tunes as funky as they are soulful! Vocals are by Maysa and Tony Momrelle – and tracks include "Don't Turn My Love Away", "This Thing Called Love", "The Principles Of Love", "Everything Your Heart Desires", "Close My Eyes", "25th Chapter", and "Mr Jones". Eleven is a record that's a great testament to Incognito's richly-collaborative spirit – a quality that makes plenty of room here for lead vocals by Maysa Leak, Imaani, and Carleen Anderson – and which benefits strongly from some great keyboard lines by Ski Oakenfull. But as usual, mainman Bluey is the one to thank for the record – because his sense of groove, and love of classic 70s-influenced soul comes through very strongly on all tracks – hitting an on-the-money sound that makes the group, and this latest album, stand head to head with some of the best soul acts of classic years. Another winner from Incognito – not a bit of fluff at all – and a sublime batch of tracks that includes "Jacaranda", "Show Me Love", "We Got Music", "Let The Mystery Be", "Will I Ever Learn", "I'll Get By", "As Long As It's You", and "When Tomorrow Brings You Down". Bonus tracks include the previously-unreleased "To Prove My Love" and "Feel The Real" – plus "Zaius (Ski Oakenfull mix)". ~ Dusty Groove

SOUL TOGETHERNESS 2016 (VARIOUS ARTISTS)

A wickedly sharp entry in the Soul Togetherness series – and one that maybe features a bit more contemporary material than before! There's a few older tracks from the modern soul years of the late 70s – but most of the work here is contemporary soul from the global underground – brought together in a collection that's especially important, given that the scene has moved so strongly to digital releases and one-off singles! These tracks are partly from that hinterland, and partly from the well-chosen range of cuts that we've come to expect from Expansion Records and DJ Richard Searling – a talent who's been running the Soul Togetherness empire for 30 years, and really knows his way around a track. Titles include "Don't Quit" by Deiphuis & Eastar with Jocelyn Brown, "Sunshine" by Los Charly's Orchestra, "I Got To Party" by SouLutions, "Just Talk To Me (boogie back rmx)" by Tracy Hamlin, "No Limit (ext mix)" by Breakwater, "Stranger (back to the future mix)" by Farina Miss, "Adieu" by Trina Broussard, "I Can Feel It (Soulshy mix)" by Beat Rivals, "Never Loved Nobody" by Puff Johnson, "Lotta Love (ext orig version)" by Nicolette Larson, "What I Done Wrong" by Big Lee Dowell & The Cannonballas, "Just Whatcha Like" by Zo with Joi, "All In The Name Of Love" by Seest, and "You & I (spider edit)" by Ronnie Jones. ~ Dusty Groove

ANDREW CYRILLE / BILL MCHENRY – PROXIMITY

One of the most beautiful records we've ever heard from drummer Andrew Cyrille – a sublime set of duets with tenorist Bill McHenry, who turns out to be a wonderful musical partner! The music has that loose, open, almost melodic feel that Cyrille brought to his percussion – especially on his wonderful recordings of the early 80s – and McHenry's a nicely understated player who never tries to challenge or dominate – and who instead provides these soulful currents that are offset by the always-inventive work by Andrew on the drums! Tunes are open, but never far-out – a few notches this side of freer jazz, and nicely tuneful overall. Titles include "Dervish", "Double Dutch", "Drum Song For Leadbelly", "Fabula", "Bedouin Woman", "Drum Man Cyrille", "Aquatic Life", and "Seasons". ~ Dusty Groove


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