FOUR TOPS –
NATURE PLANNED IT
Why did
Motown ever let the Four Tops get away? This album was their last for the label
– and it's an excellent one, filled with soul, sweetness, and some of the best
arrangements the group had in their later years! The soul component is
super-high – with tight group instrumentation that reminds us of the best
Philly backing combos of the same time, but leaner too – as Dennis Coffey and
Wah Wah Ragin are on guitars, Jack Ashford handles percussion, and Leonard
Caston adds some nice funky keyboards. The real talent, though, is the group –
and Levi Stubbs is in fine fine form on cuts like "She's An Understanding
Woman", "I Am Your Man", "If You Let Me", "Nature
Planned It", "Walk With Me, Talk With Me Darling", and
"Happy (Is A Bumpy Road)". Even includes a great version of Todd
Rundgren's wonderful track "We Gotta Get You A Woman"! (Limited edition!)
~ Dusty
Groove
ART HIRAHARA
– CENTRAL LINE
Art Hirahara
is a beautifully fluid pianist – one who really won us over with his last album
on Posi-tone, and who seems to soar even more here – working in a fantastic
trio that includes Linda Oh on bass and Rudy Royston on drums – plus some
occasional tenor from Donny McCaslin! Oh and Royston have this round presence
that really resonates strongly with Art's piano – creating this wave of soulful
energy from the ground up, even on the mellower moments – with a tonal depth
that's sophisticated, yet never forced at all. When McCaslin comes into the
mix, his sound is a bit more separate from the three – yet in a way that only
underscores their cohesion and beautiful sensitivity together. Titles include
"Little Giant", "Sensitive Animal", "Central
Line", "Kuroda Bushi", "Astray", and a version of the
Chico Buarque tune "As Minhas Meninas". ~ Dusty Groove
ERIC LAU -
EXAMPLES
A beautiful
back-to-basics set from Eric Lau – spare instrumentals that focus wonderfully
on the best sort of interplay between beats and keyboards – never overdone,
never overly-long, but a great reminder of how wonderful the format can be in
the hands of the right musician! There's a crispness to the tunes that's
wonderful – and a freshness that's really surprising, especially if you think
that everything's already been done in the genre – which might have been our
position, until we opened our ears to the goodness on the set! Titles include
"Harmonics", "Rahw", "Harps In Space", "Lift
Off", "Rhythm King", "The Sun & Beyond",
"Flute Time", "Myo Shuffle", and "Everything Will Work
Out Fine". ~ Dusty Groove
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