A completely unique little set from singer Steve Parks – a set cut in the Bay Area scene of the early 80s – but done with a righteous 70s vibe that mixes jazz, soul, and bits of Latin influences as well! The overall approach is definitely soul, but there's plenty of jazz inflections in the vocals and instrumentation – a vibe that's not unlike the best sound of Jon Lucien on RCA, but which is carried here by Parks with a bit more force – and these undeniably fluid vocals sounds that really blow us away! Instrumentation is right on the money – warm, jazzy, and never hokey at all – with lots of great acoustic percussion at the core. Titles include the massive sample track "Movin In The Right Direction" – plus "All In A Day", "Everything's Gonna Be OK", "Don't Stop Now", "The Golden Key", and "Sadness In My Samba". CD features an insane number of bonus tracks – 9 more numbers that include "Wrong Decision", "Should've Been Wishing", "Wonderful", "Stop Drop Everything", "You Make It Easy For Me", and "Shimmy & Jive". ~ Dusty Groove
A nicely grooving set to start the 80s by The Waters – an underappreciated 2-man, 2-woman LA vocal group who did a considerable amount of backup vocals in the studio scene of the late 70s – and this is easily their best record! It's got some of the best arrangements the group ever received – and it's also got a smooth modern soul style that's similar to some of Wayne Henderson's work on Fantasy Records, mixed with some of the smooth jazz funk that was coming out on Arista at the time. An overlooked gem! Titles include "I Can Make You Smile", "Throw A Little Bit Of Love My Way", "Come To Me", "Dance With Me", "Heart Lead The Way", "Let Him Prove It", and "Party People". ~ Dusty Groove
One of the best David Newman albums for Atlantic from the 60s – and one that breaks past the R&B-influenced formula of earlier albums! This one features some great arrangements by William Fischer, the cool wild-card arranger who was to late 60s Atlantic what David Axelrod was to Capitol at the same time. Fischer's touch isn't exactly funky – but it's certainly far-reaching, as he sets up David's funky tenor and flute in some very hip arrangements that mix together horns, strings, and soul production, in a mode that provides some of the best backings that Newman's ever had to solo over – a favor he returns admirably in his playing on the album! Includes the cool psychedelic number "The Thirteenth Floor", Eddie Harris-ish readings of "And I Love Her" and "Yesterday", and versions of Sam Cooke's "Ain't That Good News" and "A Change Is Gonna Come". ~ Dusty Groove
No comments:
Post a Comment