A sweet set of grooves from this cool Italian combo – served up with just the sort of retro style you'd guess from the cover! There's a strong influence here from older soundtrack modes – particularly Italian ones – no surprise, given that the album's on the film score reissue Cinedelic label, and really fits in with some of their classic work! The group take on a few older Italian soundtrack themes, and add in their own songs too – and they definitely have some of the Brazilian elements promised by their name, but in addition to bossa and samba, this also means some fuzzy psych as well – some of the heavier modes of the 70s generation, touched with a bit of cop/crime funk from the Italian scene of that era too. Vocals are in English and Italian – and titles include great remakes of "Metti Una Sera A Cena", "Femina Ridens", and "Goodby My Friend" – plus "Doping 2000", "La Donna Dei Miei Guai", "Gira Gira", "Clavinet Et Chase", "Drugs & Violence", and "Deep Throat". (Super-heavy vinyl pressing – with a great cover too!) ~ Dusty Groove
Maybe the best record we've ever heard from Cosmic mainman Daniele Baldelli – and definitely a set that really lives up to the funky side promised in the title! Baldelli's got a much deeper groove here than ever before – a great ear for tight elements on the basslines, mixed with jazzy work on keyboards and guitar – all woven into a groove that's every bit as club-worth as his other music, yet a lot more warm and soulful overall! It's almost like Daniele's going back to discover a disco generation he might have missed the first time around – with a retro style that's hard to distinguish from the original, a lot like Joey Negro and some of his Sunshine Band work. Titles include "Mellow Game", "Good Day", "What Da Funk", "Voltage Groove", "Synthesized Honey", "Break Loose", "Drive Me Crazy", and "Fontainebleau". ~ Dusty Groove
Wonderful work from the overlooked JP Robinson – a killer soul singer on the Miami scene at the end of the 60s – finally given his due in this overstuffed set! Robinson's got a voice that's quite compelling – still in the deep soul mode you might expect, but with this slightly fragile quality that comes through especially when he's trying to hold a note or emotion – a really great aspect that almost makes you feel like JP's going to break down right in the course of a tune, even when he's getting a bit of support from female backup singers! And speaking of backup, the rhythms here are all pretty great – as tunes were recorded at Muscle Shoals, Criteria, and the TK Studios – with the kind of top-shelf talent that really helped knock all these singles out of the park. Material was originally issued on the Atlantic and TK family of labels – and titles include "You Can Be A Lady", "Doggone It", "George Jackson", "Our Day Is Here", "Keep Me Satisfied", "Only Be True To Me", "Love Is Not A Stranger", "I've Got A Long Way To Go", "Say It", "Hot Love", "You Got Your Thing On A String", and "Wall To Wall Love". 20 tracks in all! ~ Dusty Groove
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