THE BRAND NEW HEAVIES - ALL ABOUT THE FUNK
Long gone are the heady days of the Acid Jazz explosion led
by artists such as JTQ, Corduroy, Jamiroquai and at the centre of it all, the
Brand New Heavies. All About the Funk, the band's first album for some time
doesn't hanker after days gone by, instead it draws influence from the latter
day hip-hop soul scene and fuses it with their own very British sound. The Brand New Heavies, along with Incognito,
have been pioneers of the acid-jazz movement and for more than 25 years have
remained a vital force for fans of soulful, jazzy club-oriented funk ‘n’
groove. Aside from their great grooves,
the band has been known for outstanding female vocalists ranging from N’Dea
Davenport and Siedah Garrett to talented newcomer Nicole Russo. All Abou the Funk finds The Brand New Heavies delivering just
what the title implies - a strong set of grooves leaning on the funk-oriented
end of their classic sound. The
extremely passionate and fiercely loyal fan base will find this great “lost”
Brand New Heavies album (from 2004 and only previously availalable in Japan) to be a “must have!” Essentially the main line up of
the original three remains with former pop-R&B wannabe Nicole Russo taking
the mic, a tough act to follow after N'Dea Davenport, Siedah Garrett and
briefly Carleen Anderson, but her fresh voice makes the band seem more current,
sounding a lot like Fergie from Black Eyed Peas, especially on the catchy
"How we Do This". Another such example of adapting to the modern day
is "Need Some More", a mid-tempo groove clearly influenced by Ms
Dynamite. However, it's not all change; "What Do You Take Me For?",
"Surrender" and opener "Boogie" are classic Heavies--bass
up, choppy-guitar and keys with light breezy vocals injecting a bit of
summertime into the album. ~
Amazon/Shanachie
T-BONE WALKER - SUPER BLACK BLUES
T-BONE WALKER - SUPER BLACK BLUES
A great
little set from T-Bone – recorded at the end of the 60s, with a lineup that
includes other blues musicians like Joe Turner, Otis Spann, and George
Harmonica Smith, plus jazz funk players like Paul Humphrey and Ernie Watts. The
vibe is very laidback – and most tracks on the album stretch out in an extended
free-form style that's quite unusual compared to T-Bone's other records. As
usual, his guitar and vocals are very soulful – and titles include "Paris
Blues", "Blues Jam", and "Jot's Blues". features four long titles that
include "Arashi", "Ondo No Huna-Uta", "Dora", and
"Fukushima No Ima". ~ Dusty Groove
AKIRA SAKATA / JOHAN BERTHLING / PAAL NILSSEN-LOVE - ARASHI
Akira
Sakata is a player who's never been known to hold back – but he sounds
especially powerful here in the company of Paal Nilssen Love on drums and Johan
Berthling on bass – two younger players who seem to inspire Sakata to a sort of
frenzied height that we haven't heard this strongly in years! Akira's not just
mindblowing on alto sax, but also does this incredible vocalization at one
point – an almost mystical mode, but extremely powerful and almost frightening
too. He also plays clarinet too – at a level that has us wonder how often he's
got to be running for new reeds – and the set features four long titles that
include "Arashi", "Ondo No Huna-Uta", "Dora", and
"Fukushima No Ima". ~ Dusty Groove
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