Thursday, April 17, 2014

NEW RELEASES: CROWD COMPANY - NOW OR NEVER; RAY LUGO & THE BOOGALOO DESTROYERS - ¡QUE CHEVERE!; ALLIE WEBB - A LARK

CROWD COMPANY – NOW OR NEVER

Crowd Company rose from the ranks of London’s burgeoning funk/soul scene to assert themselves as an act to watch out for, with engaging live performances and a finely tuned sound based on retro grooves with a soulful edge and a modern twist. After playing in venues such as The 100 Club and Band On The Wall, and sharing stages with artists such as George Porter Jr of The Meters, this 8 piece is now ready to reveal itself to the world with its debut full-length release, “Now Or Never” which sees the participation of Joe Tatton from The New Mastersounds and Alan Evans from Soulive. From fast-paced, modern soul opener “Are You Feeling It” to mid-tempo burner “Turn It Loose feat. Alan Evans”, from the latin-tinged rhythms of “It’ll Work Out Fine”  to the cosmic jazz-funk of “Electrify feat. Alan Evans”, new album “Now Or Never” packs a solid punch when it comes to the grooves it provides. Get hooked to the hard-hitting drums of the titletrack‘s feel-good funk, or to the infectious vibes of stand-out number “All I Can Do feat Joe Tatton & Alan Evans”, a hypnotic slab of early 70s psych-funk with a contemporary edge. To best capture the band’s bristling live energy the album was recorded entirely to tape at Cowshed Studio, London, and later mixed by Alan Evans and mastered by Paul Gold at Salt Mastering in Brooklyn. With groovin Hammond organ, virtuoso horn section, tight beats and soulful vocals this release sees Crowd Company provide a unique blend of catchy modern funk & soul tunes with and jazzy inflections. Time to get down to Crowd Company, it’s “Now Or Never”!


RAY LUGO & THE BOOGALOO DESTROYERS - ¡QUE CHEVERE!

Ray Lugo's mind is very fertile, and he's been rather prolific over the last decade, putting out a variety of groovy sounds ranging from organic to electronic, afrobeat to soul, Latin to Brazilian and many different sorts of mashup/fusions in between. But, just because he is creatively fecund doesn't mean the quality suffers - each album is hand-crafted and Ray takes his time to shape and mold it to just the right proportions. ¡Que Chevere! was his second Latin soul record with the Boogaloo Destroyers, and destroy the dance floor is just what they will do when you put this record on the Hi-Fi. The title of the album translates loosely as "how groovy!" and it's a very apt one. The Boogaloo Destroyers' sound is inspired by the warmth, diversity, and youthful spirit of classic New York Latin Boogaloo of the 1960s, yet at the same time, as composer and lead vocalist, Ray feels he is bringing some of his afrobeat sensibilities and vocal personality to the proceedings, to make it fresh for today's audiences.  - DJ Bongohead

ALLIE WEBB - A LARK

On her just released EP, "A Lark," Allie Webb delivers a wonderful jazz vocal performance backed by equally talented players. With a warm and inviting tone reminiscent of Sara Gazarek, Webb welcomes listeners into her songs and serenades them with her soothing voice. Webb’s effortless vocal control, akin to Tierney Sutton, is showcased marvelously on every track of this release, and is best exemplified on the track “You’d Be So Nice To Come Home To.” These enticing songs will relax and free you from the stresses of your day-to-day routine as Webb expresses both the joy and sorrow she found while away from home.A Lark was recorded and mixed by Jim Watson at Sonic Blender Studio in Venice, CA. Webb states, “I made this EP ‘on a lark’ with close friends of mine. These arrangements came out of a period of longing that I experienced. I hope I captured some of the beauty and heartache of that on the recording.” Webb masterfully encapsulates these sentiments in her music and shares them in such an intimate fashion that it seems as if she is singing directly to individual listeners. The musicians on A Lark excellently compliment Webb’s musical prowess, while demonstrating the individual talents that they possess.


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