Wednesday, September 23, 2015

NEW RELEASES: VERBAL KENT – ANESTHESIA; JOE MAGNARELLI – THREE ON TWO; CECILIA STALIN / KHARI CABRAL SIMMONS – THE STORY OF LOVE

VERBAL KENT – ANESTHESIA

Rugged independent hip hop from underground Chicago classicist MC Verbal Kent – a master of clearly focused rhymes and spat with dexterous skill, be it straight forward storytelling or verbal acrobatics! VK is in as fine of form as we've ever heard him, backed by his most impressive roster of guest voices and producers, including Oh No, Marco Polo, Freddie Gibbs, Kaz 1, Torae, Apollo Brown and more. Tough, brilliant work from underrated voice. Includes "September", "Suit Case Switch" feat Freddie Gibbs, "Notes", "Add Anesthesia", "Is This My Life", "Cyclops Muscle" feat Torae, "Save Face" feat Red Pill, "Are You Ready" and more. ~ Dusty Groove

JOE MAGNARELLI – THREE ON TWO

A killer from trumpeter Joe Magnarelli – an artist we've already begun to appreciate a lot for his recent work on the Posi-tone label – but a player who really wins us over with this sweet little set! The record sparkles right from the start with contributions from key labelmates – the mighty Brian Charette on Hammond, Mike DiRubbo on alto, and the great Steve Davis on trombone – all players who leap into the fray with Magnarelli right from the start, and come up with these lines that are sophisticated, but always swinging too – stunningly soulful at all the best moments, with a nice sort of sparkle,b ut no too-commercial polish. Solos are great, and Magnarelli writing is very nice on the album's original tracks – and titles include "Easy", "26 2", "Central Park West", "Paris", "Outlet Pass", "Clockwise", and "My Reverie". ~ Dusty Groove

CECILIA STALIN / KHARI CABRAL SIMMONS – THE STORY OF LOVE

We've always loved vocalist Cecilia Stalin, no matter what the setting – but here, she might be in the best company ever – working with jazzy backings from Khari Cabral Simmons and other members of the Atlanta scene – on a record that's drenched in soul from the very first note! Stalin hails from London, was born in Sweden, and worked with Koop and other overseas acts – but she's also got this strongly soulful quality that's always made her a favorite with American listeners too – and here, working with Khari, she's almost returning the favor by giving a special sort of Atlanta spin to her music! The music's based on strong basslines from Simmons, and features lots of warm keyboards – and all the rhythms are live, with a spontaneous jazzy undercurrent that works perfect with Cecilia's lovely vocals. Our only complaint might be that we would have loved a full record from the duo – but the four songs here offer maybe more than most other full LPs. Titles include a great reworking of Jon Lucien's "Sunny Day", plus "He Loves You", "The Story Of Love", and "Norwegian Wood".  ~ Dusty Groove


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