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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