THE
HELIOCENTRICS & MELVIN VAN PEEBLES – THE LAST TRANSMISSION
A
mindblowing collaboration between The Heliocentrics and underground film legend
Melvin Van Peebles – a set that has the group serving up some madly trippy
grooves, while Melvin speaks and sings some wisdom of his own! Van Peebles
already blew our minds years ago with his insane soundtrack to Sweet
Sweetback's Baaaadasss Song – still one of our favorite records of all times –
and The Heliocentrics follow in the odd spirit of that gem, by mixing lots of
sounds and styles together in a mad cacophony of music – then leaving just the
right amount of space for Melvin to come into the mix! Instrumentation is often
fuzzy and psych-oriented, but always with a funky, soulful vibe as well – of
the sort you'd hear on vintage records from Van Peebles – and titles include
"Big Bang Reincarnation", "Transformation", "Infinite
List", "Trust The Cosmos", and "Blue Mist". Special
package also features a full bonus disc of instrumentals too! ~ Dusty Groove
CRISTINA
ZAVALLONI – THE SOUL FACTOR
A great
collaboration between Italian vocalist Cristina Zavalloni and mighty
keyboardist Uri Caine – a set that's surprisingly soulful overall, and one of
Uri's funkiest records to date! The style is more soul than jazz – and
Zavalloni works well as an old school styled singer, with almost a 70s vibe –
one that's underscored nicely by Caine's heavy use of Hammond and Fender
Rhodes! The rest of the group is pretty spare – often just guitar, bass, and
drums to sharpen up the funky rhythms – and almost all the tracks are original
numbers written by the duo. Titles include "For You", "Dear
Presences", "A Day In Zory", "Tough Girls",
"Hated Woman", and "Aretha's Song". ~ Dusty Groove
VICTOR
HAYNES – MY TIME IS HERE
Victor
Haynes' time has been here for a few years now – as he's really be serving up
some great music over the past few releases – but this album's definitely got a
positive, confident feel that really lives up to its title – jazzy, upbeat, and
rock-solid all the way through! The record's a great example of underground
soul that's tight, but very far from commercial – put together with all the
classic elements of an old school record, but done with an indie vibe that's
nice and lean – and which is very well suited to Victor's vocals and lyrics.
There's a jazzy undercurrent throughout – almost a bit of an Incognito vibe,
and we mean that in the best way possible – and titles include
"Feel", "Sleep Over", "Serious", "Get Back",
"My Time Is Here", "Love Will Conquer All", and "Give
Me The Reason". ~ Dusty Groove
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