Funky soul, but with a touch of jazz – almost a mod soul undercurrent that really sets these guys apart from the rest! The blend is great – nice and tight, yet never too slick – almost the sort of direction Georgie Fame should have gone in the early 70s, had he stayed on the right track – with lots of lead vocals from songwriter Frank Montis, who's got this raspy sound that's perfect for his hip lyrics! Frank also plays Fender Rhodes and Hammond as well – amidst some great horns, and backing vocals from Laura Vane on a number of cuts too. Tracks include "Make It Right", "Fading", "Right From Wrong", "Façade", "Life Is Short", "We'll Meet Again", "Sunny", "Straightforward Fascination", and "Live My Life". ~ Dusty Groove
A really cool British group – one who work here with plenty of echoes of the 70s progressive jazz years – yet in a more stripped-down way too! The set's got lots of great sharp reeds over complex grooves – of the sort you might have heard from Elton Dean, yet handled here by contemporary player Raymond Hardy – who turns in great work on tenor, soprano sax, and flute. Celia Lu sings a bit on the record – often in this cool wordless mode that's quite musical – and almost a bit like the great Norma Winstone in her early years. Rhythms are never too overdone – really preserving the right sort of space between the sounds – and titles include "Overflooded", "The Giver You Get", "Blink & Miss", "Soapstrop", "Broadbanned", and "Comets & Monsters". ~ Dusty Groove
Great grooves from The Cherry Boppers – way more than you'd expect from the cover! We'll be honest in saying that these guys have a name and look that sometimes puts us off at first glance – but digging into their music, the sound is totally great – a tight blend of Hammond and horns, handled with equal parts jazz and soul – and a bad-stepping set of rhythms that lie somewhere between mod soul and 60s soul jazz! The sound is funky, but not in the usual deep funk way – more a London late 60s mode – and titles include "Flyin High", "Hey", "The Harvest", "Two Sides Of The Groove", "Deep Down Inside", and "Humo En El Ambiente". ~ Dusty Groove
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