Thursday, August 06, 2015

NEW RELEASES: TRU THOUGHTS COVERS 2; VIVIAN GREEN - VIVID; REVIVE MUSIC PRESENTS SUPREME SONANCY VOL. 1

TRU THOUGHTS COVERS 2 (VARIOUS ARTISTS)

A long-awaited follow up to one of our favorite compilations ever released by Tru Thoughts, and certainly one of the most straight-up fun – in which all stars from the label's roster of underground funk, soul and global groove eclecticists put their own spin on a great batch cover tunes! Quantic puts a cumbia spin on Dre & Snoop, La Grima turns Nirvana's moody grunge into a grimy dub trip, Youngblood Brass Band takes on the Rufus & Chaka Khan and more – in a set that truly transcends any novelty cover tune shtick you might be expecting – really paying legitimate tribute to the material by giving it a fresh spin! Includes "Nuthin' But A G Thing (Dre En Cumbia)" by Quantic Y Su Conjunto Los Miticos Del Ritmo, "Lithium" by La Grima, "Ghost Town" by Hot 8 Brass Band, "Who's That Girl?" by Harleighblu, "I'm The Man That Will Find You" by Alice Russell, "Ain't Nobody" by Youngblood Brass Band and "I Feel Love" by Fingathing feat Jesca Hoop. 9 tracks on the vinyl. (Includes download card – for the CD version with 17 tracks in all!) ~ Dusty Groove

VIVIAN GREEN - VIVID

Vibrant, voluminous, and yes, quite vivid modern soul from Vivian Green – her best in years! She's working here with producer Kwame Holland, and the tracks have a lean, electronic leaning vibe that work really well with her tried-and-true, emotionally resonant vocal style. It might sound like a strange bedfellows kind of scenario, but it works – partly because it's a fairly empowering batch of songs on the lyrical tip, and the sound pairs well with the lyrical strength – and also because we appreciate Vivian taking creative left turns, refusing to repeat herself. Nice! Includes "The One That Got Away", "Broken", "All I Want Is You" feat Raheem DeVaughn, "Get Right Back To My Baby", "123", "Disrespectful", "Count Your Blessings" feat Treena Ferebee and "Leave It All Behind". ~ Dusty Groove

REVIVE MUSIC PRESENTS SUPREME SONANCY VOL. 1 (VARIOUS ARTISTS)

A strong set of contemporary soulful jazz grooves – and a partnership between Revive Music and the venerable Blue Note label! Supreme Sonacy kicks off with a intro by Radar Ellis that sets the stage nicely for one of the freshest compilations of relatively unknown, poised to break out talents we've heard in a few years – including Igmar Thomas & Marc Cary, Marcus Strickland & Christie Dashiell, Brandee Younger, Ray Angry Slingbaum and others. Although it's essentially a various artists compilation, it's got a fairly cohesive vibe – with soul jazz keys a constant from track-to-track and a bunch of the names popping up more than once on the tracklist – sort of giving it the feel of a diverse collective. Includes "Trane Thing/Pinocchio" by Igmar Thomas & Marc Cary, "Let's Wait A While" by Marcus Strickland & Christie Dashiell, "The Procrastinator" by Keyon Harrold, Maurice Brown & Jaleel Shaw, "Celebration Of Life Suite" by Ray Angry feat The Council Of Goldfinger, "808s In France (Raydar Ellis/Interlude)" by Slingbaum, the sweet Dorothy Ashby tribute "Dorothy Jeanne" by Brandee Younger and more.  ~ Dusty Groove

 

No comments:

Post a Comment