CAROLINE LACAZE - EN ROUTE
Fantastic French funk – a record that's unlike any other deep
funk combo we can think of – because Caroline Lacaze sings in her native
language instead of English! The grooves are stepped in the best funky 45 styles
of the late 60s, but the vocals also echo the more soulful sound of the French
pop of the time as well – making the record a sweet hybrid that really stands
out from the pack – and which will certainly help freshen up any collection of
contemporary funk! Caroline's sung before on projects with the Mighty Mocambos,
and she gets strong support from them on this debut set of her own – a stone
smoker that include "Soultempo", "Je Reste", "Toujours Lui", "Laisse Tomber",
"Ici", "Minutes D'Insouciance", and "En Route Madame". ~ Dusty Groove
THE SIGN OF FOUR - HAMMER, ANVILL & STIRRUP
A totally great little set from Sign Of Four – a project of
Miles Newbold from the Natural Yogurt Band – served up with an approach to
exotic jazz funk that's even trippier than his previous work! Miles plays a load
of live instruments here – vibes, flute, guitar, percussion, and keyboards – all
sifted and filtered together with some cool studio work to sound very vintage,
and very offbeat – like some weird Eastern take on American soul jazz of the
60s, or like a garage band trying their best to sound like Sun Ra! The music is
some of the best new work we've ever heard on the Jazzman label – and really
feels a lot more like some lost exotic record from years back – with titles that
include "Samba Moderno", "Morocco", "Topsy Turvy", "Mirage", "Morphine", "Fruit
Juice For Everyone", and "Sun Suite Humulus Lupulus". (Totally great package –
two 10" LPs, in a wraparound silkscreen sleeve!) ~ Dusty Groove
DUPREE - NUESTRO CAMINO
A heavy record with a heavy pedigree – a smoking set of funky
instrumentals, all recorded directly to tape, then pressed directly on heavy
colored wax! The trio has a hard-burning sound that takes us back to the
Prestige records jazz funk sound of the early 70s – the sort of groove you might
have heard from Leon Spencer or Melvin Sparks – with Mike Flanigin on sweet
Hammond, Jake Langley on smoking guitar, and Kyle Thompson driving the whole
thing with some mighty fierce drums! Titles are mostly originals – and include
"The Turtle", "Malibu Classic", "KC", "Moto Guzzi", and "Leon's Thing".
(Includes download card too!) ~ Dusty
Groove
No comments:
Post a Comment