Tuesday, September 20, 2016

NEW RELEASES: OMAR SOSA / PAOLA FRESU - EROS; GEORGE DUKE – SHINE ON: THE ANTHOLOGY-THE EPIC YEARS; SHAUN ESCOFFERY - EVERGREEN

OMAR SOSA / PAOLA FRESU - EROS 

Eros follows the success of Omar Sosa and Paolo Fresu's 2012 debut CD, ALMA, and four years of distinguished international touring.  EROS delves deeply into the energy, poetry, and spirituality of love - a suite of songs inspired by the human emotions that lead beauty into the divine.  The recording is enriched by cello contributions from Brazilian master Jaques Morelenbaum (who was also a guest on ALMA), from the enchanting Maghreb singer Natacha Atlas (who creates a luminous version of Teardrop by Massive Attack), and from the Italian Alborada String Quartet (who have graced many projects in the Paolo Fresu catalog).


GEORGE DUKE – SHINE ON: THE ANTHOLOGY-THE EPIC YEARS

A tremendous run of music from the great George Duke – an artist who'd already spent many years in the jazz and soul world before hitting his time at Epic Records – where he really took off on a great run of tracks like this! Duke started out as a straight jazz player in the 60s, then worked a bit with Frank Zappa on some really far-out sounds – and also got the chance to cut a run of fantastic spacey fusion sets for the MPS label – all experience that gave him plenty of time to try out new ideas on the keyboards, and find the right sort of space for his musical soul. At Epic, George took all those ideas and experience, and forged them down into some wonderful sounds that effortlessly blended soul, jazz, funk, and fusion – to a level that instantly made Duke the leading light in his field, and a creative talent who helped give exposure to a lot of other artists too. This smoking set features 38 tracks from those years – a really wonderfully-chosen collection that does a great job of touching all the right bases, and including some of our favorite George Duke material from the Epic recordings! Titles include "Reach For It", "Scuse Me Miss", "Yeah We Going", "Dukey Stick (parts 1 & 2)", "I Am For Real", "Movin On", "Pluck", "Brazilian Love Affair", "Games", "Shine On", "Dream On", "Reach Out (parts 1 & 2)", "Secret Rendezvous", "Heroes (voc)", "Dukey Stick (long version)", "Party Down", "Son Of Reach For It", "Finding My Way", "Positive Energy", "Thinking Of You", "Celebrate", "You Are The Light", "Say That You Will", "You & Me", "Don't Let Go", and "The Way I Feel". ~ Dusty Groove

SHAUN ESCOFFERY - EVERGREEN

Why isn't Shaun Escoffery bigger? He's easily been one of the top soul singers in the world for over a decade – and a record like this should be in everyone's collection! Shaun's always had a cutting edge sound in his music – and this time around, he inflects it with a bit of classic soul too – mixing his 21st Century style with a sound that puts him rock solidly in the territory of Al Green, Marvin Gaye, or Bobby Womack – all artists we wouldn't hesitate to compare Shaun to – given the depth and consistency of his music! The record's a stunner – maybe the one that will finally break Escoffery to a bigger global audience – and even if it doesn't, it's one you'll be loving for years – which we know we will. Titles include "Love Shine Down", "Evergreen", "Healing Me", "When Love Is Gone", "Here Comes The Rain Again", "Lost For Words", "Win Again", and "Teachers". ~ Dusty Groove


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