Friday, June 19, 2015

NEW RELEASES: CHUCK RAINEY – THE CHUCK RAINEY COALITION; SEU JORGE – MUSICAS PARA CHURRASCO II; RUSSELL TAYLOR – WAR OF HEARTS

CHUCK RAINEY – THE CHUCK RAINEY COALITION

Funky instrumentals from bassist Chuck Rainey – a player who was well known for his work on countless sessions as a sideman, but who rarely got a chance to cut a record like this! The album's got a style that's smooth and soulful, yet also a bit down n dirty – almost like some of the similar work from the time on Atlantic. And no surprise, Rainey's working with a number of Atlantic-styled studio players – an elite funky group that includes Richard Tee, Billy Butler, Bernard Purdie, Montego Joe, and Cornell Dupree. The album's got a mellow funky kind of approach that's almost a precursor to the 70s grooves of the Kudu label – but with perhaps certain touches of 60s jazz still in the mix as well – and titles include "Eloise", "Lone Stranger", "Theme From Peter Gunn", "Got It Together", and "The Rain Song".  ~ Dusty Groove

SEU JORGE – MUSICAS PARA CHURRASCO II

A real killer from Seu Jorge – one of his best records in years, and maybe even better than the first volume in this series! The set's got a strongly funky vibe right from the start – a groove that's almost got the totally perfect feel of Incognito or Brand New Heavies – but which is even better, given the amazingly rich, deep style of singing that Jorge brings to the record! Jorge has a voice that grabs us even when the instrumentation is spare, or he's singing a ballad – but he's also really at his best on upbeat, soulful material like this – almost a throwback to the years of 70s samba soul, but with a slightly more contemporary vibe too. Wonderful all the way through – the kind of record that should be making Seu Jorge a huge international star – with titles that include "Papo Reto", "Ela E Bipolar", "Na Verdade Nao Ta", "Faixa De Contorno", and "Babydoll".  ~ Dusty Groove

RUSSELL TAYLOR – WAR OF HEARTS

A creative leap forward for indie soul veteran Russell Taylor – with a lot synth and other electronic production touches, but stll firmly centered around his soulful voice and solid songs. It's always a rewarding thing when artists we've been following for years continue to evolve without losing what we love about them early on, RT is a prime example. The songs here are as great as on any of his albums to date, and he's still got one of the most expressive voices in the independent soul scene. Nice! Includes "Electric", "Let Me Love You", "What She Wants", "War Of Hearts", "Foolish Hearts", "Can't Cry", "Ghetto Streets", "Can't Cry", "Proud" and "Hope".  ~ Dusty Groove



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