LOMA – A
SOUL MUSIC LOVE AFFAIR VOLUME 2: GET IN THE GROOVE 1965-1968
60s soul
treasures – served up here in glorious mono – all as part of this wonderful
tribute to the legendary Loma Records label! Loma was a small imprint that was
part of Warner Brothers in the late 60s – and acted more like an LA-based indie
label, with a quality level that rivals the best from New York, Detroit, and
Chicago at the time – even Memphis, given that Loma had a surprisingly great
ear for deep soul – in a way that few west coast imprints had during the 60s.
The mix of modes here is wonderful – from upbeat groovers, to female soul
killers, to some especially hard-burning male vocal numbers – in a set list
that includes "The Dam Busted" by Carl Hall, "You Can't Outsmart
A Woman" by Kell Osborne, "Too Late" by JJ Jackson, "Good
Time" by The Mighty Hannibal, "Help Yourself" by Larry Lester,
"Callin" by Lonnie Youngblood, "Your Search is Over" by
Walter Foster, "Rainin In My Heart" by The Olympics, "There's
Something On Your Mind (part 1)" by Baby Lloyd, and "Try" by
Lorraine Ellison. ~ Dusty Groove
THE NEW
MASTERSOUNDS – THE NASHVILLE SESSIONS
The New
Mastersounds, working live in the studio in a Nashville setting – hardly
country at all, and sounding every bit as funky as before! In fact, the quartet
may have hit a new level of sharpness here – as the album came at the end of a
tight six week tour of the US, when the musicians had been working together
night after night – and come across here with a mindblowing quality that has us
marveling all over again at the way they can be super-tight, yet never slick –
always sharp, yet never arrogant – as they soar to the skies on an effortless
flurry of guitar, organ, bass, and drums! There's no other accompaniment at all
– no vocals, no overdubs either – and every number is a stone funky instrumental
– with titles that include "Drop It Down", "The Minx",
"Coming Up Roses", "Carrot Juice", "The Vandenburg
Suite", "Made For Pleasure", and a great take on the funky
classic "In The Middle". (Limited to 1000 copies – with bonus
download!) ~ Dusty Groove
CARLOS NINOS
& FRIENDS – FLUTES, ECHOES, IT’S ALL HAPPENING
The title
here certainly gets at the spirit of the record – as it's definitely all
happening in the world of Carlos Nino these days – a musician who just keeps on
pushing his own boundaries in recent years – and that's saying a lot, as Carlos
was pretty out there from the start! This set has Nino exploring some of his
more deeply spiritual sides – with more of a mix of electronic elements than
before, yet still some of the jazz currents from his early days too – in this
cosmic blend of styles that shifts from track to track, yet never sounds
incoherent at all. Instead, the whole thing's more like a unified journey in
sound – with stops along the way for key guest performers, a lineup that
includes contributions from Kamasai Washington, Iasos, Miguel Atwood-Ferguson,
Nate Morgan, Yaakov Levy, and Dexter Story! With folks like that on hand, the
journey's a great one – and titles include "Alice's Chord Live",
"Calimayan", "Jupiter Sings", "Metamaravilla",
"Joyous Gratitude Live", "Delightfulllll/Waterfall",
"4 Directions Collage", and "Aetheriaztlan". (Includes
download with bonus track!) ~ Dusty
Groove
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