ENNIO MORRICONE – THE HATEFUL EIGHT
Director Quentin Tarantino has drawn plenty of inspiration
from the music of Ennio Morricone over the years – either using short passages
of older Morricone music in his films, or evoking the substance and style of
the maestro in the way he uses sounds from other sources too! So it's only fitting
that this time around, the pair are finally brought together fully – as
Morricone turns out one of his best soundtracks in years for Tarantino's
Hateful Eight – a brooding, suspenseful tale that owes plenty to the western
generation that first sprung Morricone to global fame! Yet as with most of
Ennio's best work, the style here is something that goes far beyond expectation
– orchestrations that take on a style completely their own – with instrumental
elements that have stronger focus amidst the larger charts, and a sense of mood
and color here that's completely sublime. The record is mostly music from
Morricone – written for the film – and features a few passages of dialogue from
the movie, plus just a few additional tracks by The White Stripes, Roy Orbison,
and David Hess. Yet it's more than fair to think of this as a complete score by
Morricone – very different than the usual compilation-style soundtracks we've
had before from Tarantino. ~ Dusty Groove
THE FOREIGH EXCHANGE - TALES FROM THE LAND OF MILK AND HONEY
The deepest work yet from Foreign Exchange – and as hard as it
is for us to believe, a record that unofficially kicks off the second decade of
the one-time transatlantic partnership of Nicolay and Phonte – which has
evolved into a bonafide indie soul supergroup with Zo!, Tamisha Waden and
Carmen Rodgers! Tales From The Land Of Milk And Honey is as full of life as
anything we've heard from them, and honestly, a record we'll be able to keep
coming back to for years. On the production front, Nicolay has found a way to
pay homage to the past half century of breezy soul and R&B, club grooves,
bossa and more, and distill it all into a fairly tight sound that belongs to
FE+. Phonte is as vocally charismatic on his cuts as ever, whether he's playing
it straight, or just having a little bit of fun – like when he's affecting a
British accent on "Asking For A Friend" – and the women's voices are
never less than beautiful, on both the lead vocal turns and the hooks. Includes
"Milk And Honey", "Work It To The Top", "Truce",
"Disappear", "Sevenths And Ninths", "Asking ForA
Friend", "Body", "As Fast As You Can", "Face In
The Reflection" and "Until The Dawn (Milk And Honey Pt II)". ~ Dusty Groove
YOU NEED THIS: A JOURNEY INTO DEEP JAZZ (VARIOUS ARTISTS)
A brilliant collection of soulful jazz – one that has way
more to offer than you might guess from its unassuming title and cover! The
whole thing looks a bit oblique, but inside the music is full of deep color and
life – a treasure trove of more spiritual sounds from the jazz scenes of the
60s, 70s, and early 80s – and put together in a way that draws lines between
artists and records you might not normally expect in each other's company! All
tracks are nice and long, and there's a mix of soaring styles, acoustic combos,
and a few electric elements at play – plus a bit of vocals here and there,
although the main focus of the set is instrumental. Titles include "He's
Gone" by Charles Greenlee, "Pavanne" by James Clay, "Greasy
Sunday" by Triton, "Anastasie Oh Ma Cherie" by Yves Laferriere,
"Circles" by M'Boom, "Saudi" by Lenny McBrowne & The
Four Souls, "Going Home" by James Stubblefield, "Bornless
One" by Terry Plumeri, and "Bleecker Street" by Stanton Davis.
(Pressed on nice heavy vinyl – and not on CD!) ~ Dusty Groove
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