Maybe the
best album to date from Italian singer Mario Biondi – and easily his most
soulful set to date! The album's got Mario moving past some of the retro jazz
modes of his earliest records, to emerge as this universal soul star with a
hell of a sound – a voice that easily moves past nation and culture to hit a
vibe that could well make him one of the bigger global acts of the decade –
layered with a groove that's steeped in 70s soul influences, but which has a
cleaner, contemporary approach that suits Biondi's raspy presentation
perfectly! Mario sings in English throughout – with this depth that maybe even
rivals Barry White at his best, although with some more of the jazz inflections
that Biondi had on other records. Some of these cuts are pretty damn catchy –
and could win over anyone, even if they haven't followed Mario's previous
records like we have – and titles include "All Of My Life", "I
Chose You", "You Can't Stop This Love Between Us", "Heart
Of Stone", "Fly Away", "Another Kind Of Love",
"Where Does The Money Go", and "Open Up Your Eyes". Special
bonus – this limited package also comes with a second CD – Mario Biondi Vs
Commodores – which features Mario covering classics that include "Night
Shift", "Three Times A Lady", "Lady", "Brick
House", and "Easy". ~
Dusty Groove
JESSE
FISCHER – DAY DREAMER
A beautiful
little record from pianist Jesse Fischer – and one that's got a much warmer
sound than you'd expect from the piano key skeleton on the cover! Jesse's very
well-schooled in different modes of souful expression – which means that he can
create magic on an acoustic piano, but also glide even more warmly on Fender
Rhodes and organ – shifting the mood from track to track as the instrumentation
changes, but always keeping his core spirit wonderfully intact! There's a very
positive vibe to the record – on both the instrumentals and vocal numbers – the
latter of which (there's four of them on the set) feature great singing from
Sarah Elizabeth Charles – one of the key guests on the album, alongside
trumpeter Taukya Kuroda, and a host of other reed, guitar, and violin players
too. The set features a sweet cover of Minnie Riperton's classic "Lovin
You" – plus the titles "Nomads", "Mourning Dove",
"Suite For The Blue Planet", "Refuge", "Heading Home",
"Sanjee", and "Day Dreamer". ~ Dusty Groove
ROMAN DIAZ - L'O DA FUN BATA
A very
rootsy set of Cuban bata – and a record that almost feels like a vintage
session for Folkways than some of the more contemporary music on the Motema
label! The album's got a strong Yoruba bend – and features spoken passages
between most of the percussive tracks – introducing different deities, who are
then supported through highly spiritual performance that mixes chanted vocals
with percussion by Roman and his group – with no other instrumentation at all!
The notes put both the music and the references in the right sort of cultural
perspective – and titles include "Agayu", "Oggun",
"Elegua", "Oshun", "Shango", and
"Obatala". ~ Dusty
Groove
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