THE
MANHATTANS – I KINDA MISS YOU: THE ANTHOLOGY 1973-87
Beautiful
harmony soul from The Manhattans! This excellent 2CD set pulls together a bunch
of the greatest songs they recorded for Columbia in the 70s & 80s, with all
of their classic singles – hits, comparably overlooked gems, and B-sides alike
– plus key album tracks from a nearly 15 year run. Already group soul veterans
by the time they began recording for Columbia, The Manhattans are one of those
rare groups who managed to get better and better over the years, really hitting
their peak in the 70s and riding high for years to come, well into the 1980s!
Disc 1 features a perfectly chosen selection of material from the prime years
of the 70s, including "There's No Me Without You", "You'd Better
Believe It", "Wish That You Were Mine", "Summertime In The
City", "Hurt", "Gypsy Man", "Love Talk",
"Am I Losing You", "Here Comes The Hurt Again" and many
more. Disc 2 focuses on material from their surprisingly wonderful 80s years –
carrying classic soul ballad tradition pretty deep into the new decade – a
really remarkable achievement given the rapidly changing sounds and styles of
that decade! Titles include "Shining Star", "Girl Of My
Dream", "Just One Moment Away", "Crazy", "Forever
By Your Side", "Where Did We Go Wrong?" with Regina Belle,
"All I Need", "Neither One Of Us (Wants To Be The First To Say
Goodbye)" and more. 35 tracks on 2CDs! ~ Dusty Groove
WONK
– SPHERE
That's
Thelonious Monk on the cover, getting an egg yolk removed from his head – and
while that image may seem a bit sacrilegious, it's also a great way to portray
the sound of this unusual Japanese group! Wonk have a sound that's begun in
jazz, but quickly taken to much farther-out territory – maybe part of the funk,
cosmic, and soulful currents you'll know in the music of Robert Glasper in
recent years – but with even trippier, more abstract moments at times – as
acoustic instrumentation comes into play with some hip hop-styled production,
but always with a warmly beating heart that really holds the record together!
The core group features keyboards, bass, and drums – plus vocals from Kento
Nagatsuka on some tracks – and the album also features guest appearances by a
few MCs, who further help extend the righteous vibe of the music. Wonderfully
fresh, and with a sense of variety that really rewards deeper listening – on
titles that include "RdNet", "Savior", "DOF",
"Minton", "1914", "Glory", and
"Emly". ~ Dusty Groove
DAVID
BOYKIN – F**K Y’ALL: A FAREWELL TO 2016
That's
the middle finger of David Boykin on the front cover – bidding a bold farewell
to the year of 2016 – with a record that offers up some of the most
soul-nourishing sounds we've ever heard from the reedman! The album's got a
sharper, almost funkier sound than some of Boykin's other work – a
double-length performance that features David on tenor, in a group that also
has James Baker on a piano that sounds electric, and which is often played in
these blocky chords that fit well with the bass of Alex Wing and drums of
Isaiah Spencer – all working as a cohesive trio unity, while Boykin takes off
with these searing, searching solos! The mix of spiritual reeds and chunkier
rhythms is almost a bit like some of the early "funk" work of Joe
McPhee – but Boykin's clearly got his own agenda in the music, and comes off
with a mindblowing positive sound. All tracks are long, and titles include
"Coronal Mass Ejection", "Wherever You At", "Make It
Count", "You Know Who You Are", and "Jaglavac". ~
Dusty Groove
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