Tuesday, April 01, 2014

NEW RELEASES: LEON RUSSELL - LIFE JOURNEY; CARLOS FRANZETTI - IN THE KEY OF TANGO; THE LINK QUARTET & MISS MODUS - HOTEL CONSTELLATION

LEON RUSSELL - LIFE JOURNEY

A resurgent Leon Russell returns – and on Blue Note for Life Journey – on which covers a lot of stylistic territory that the man himself describes a musical journey through his own life experience! If you know a thing about Leon, you know he's one of the rock and roll era's most eclectic session players, and the set list here is reflective of that – from jazz and pop standards, to Dixieland, to swing and beyond – but the great thing here is how Leon's gritty and soulful voice and laidback piano makes everything his own. Includes "Come On In My Kitchen", "Georgia On My Mind", "That Lucky Old Sun", "Fever", "Think Of Me", "The Masquerade Is Over", "I Got It Bad And That Ain't Good", "I Really Miss You", "Fool's Paradise", "Down In Dixieland" and more. ~ Dusty Groove

CARLOS FRANZETTI - IN THE KEY OF TANGO

Solo piano from Carlos Franzetti – but a record that's got a very lively feel, thanks to its focus on the roots of the tango! All the tunes here are the kind of tango numbers you'd expect to hear from a small combo – but Franzetti plays them beautifully on solo piano – leaping around with a strong sense of rhythm and emotion, as he uses the instrument to paint these beautiful little pictures of sound! The whole thing's got a very evocative feel – and titles include "Boedo", "Soledad", "Danzarin", "Tango Fatal", "Adios Nonio", "El Chocolo", "Revierando", and "Nunca Tuvo Novio". ~ Dusty Groove

THE LINK QUARTET & MISS MODUS - HOTEL CONSTELLATION

The Link Quartet gets a whole new groove here – not just through the addition of soul singer Miss Modus, but also via the album's blend of sci-fi narrative with Hammond-based funk! The approach makes the record one of the most compelling and most unified ever from this combo – a set that's still got lots of funky organ lines, wah wah guitar, and tight grooves – but which also has this fuller sensibility as well! The female vocals on a few cuts really help the group find a new direction, as does the spoken bits that link together the tunes too – and titles include "Wrecking Machine", "Stop Calling", "Second Skin", "Love Safari", "Tears Don't Fall", "Barbarella", and "Supernova". ~ Dusty Groove


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