A lighthouse of soul and spirit from the duo of Georgia Anne Muldrow and Dudley Perkins – coming together here in a mode that has both artists at the top of their game! The album's got a dense, layered feel that really lives up to the image on the cover – and definitely has the sort of political bent you'd expect from the pairing – served up over skittish cosmic beats and fuzzy freaky keyboards, with some distortion on the lyrics that really makes the whole thing crackle with energy right from the start! Titles include "Lighthouse", "Stand", "Power", "No More War", "Popstopper", "What", "Emo Funk", and "Muthadear". ~ Dusty Groove
A brilliant criss-crossing of group from this cool trans-global group – a set recorded in London, but with roots in Venezuela, LA, and Ghana – served up with a sound that's even greater than the sum of its parts! Malcolm Catto recorded the record – and really helps bring a funky energy to the record, by working alongside lead studio help from Jack Yglesias of The Heliocentrics – pushing here into a space that's even more offbeat than the grooves of that group! There's loads of rich acoustic instrumentation – especially percussion – and Mulatu joins the record at one spot, furthering the exotic appeal of the set. Some tracks have an almost ethnographic vibes, while others are a bit more contemporary – although the overall sound is more than worthy of placement on the Soundway label. Titles incude "Arena", "Cumbacutiri", "Fly Through The Lightning To Speak With The Sun", "El Negrero", "Escape To The Palenque", "Manicero", "La Familia", and "Speak To The Spirit Of The Sea". (Includes a bonus download of the album!) ~ Dusty Groove
Sallie Blair never cut many records back in the day – but she's a hell of a great singer, and one with a really memorable approach! As you might guess from the image on the cover, Sallie's got a fair bit of personality – a way of putting over a tune that's really compelling, and a lot more charming than some of her more cool-voiced contemporaries – especially on the Bethlehem label. Her vocals are great, but her sense of individuality is even better – and there's a quality to the record that really makes it stand out from the pack. Richard Wess handles the arrangements – some with a small combo of Bethlehem players – Sal Salvador on guitar, Sanford Gold on piano, and Milt Hinton on bas – some with larger groups that expand the sound without losing the intimacy of the vocals. Titles include "Similau", "Better Luck Next Time", "Squeeze Me", "Come By Sunday", and "How Long Has This Been Going On". ~ Dusty Groove
No comments:
Post a Comment