Friday, March 03, 2017

NEW RELEASES: JOSH LAWRENCE – COLOR THEORY; SJOB MOVEMENT – FRIENDSHIP TRAIN; ANTHONY NICHOLSON – GRAVITY

JOSH LAWRENCE – COLOR THEORY

Maybe the first album we've ever seen from trumpeter Josh Lawrence – and a set that will definitely have us looking out for more! Lawrence composed almost every tune on the set, and works with a sense of color that really lives up to the title – on lines that are sometimes nicely compressed and subtle, and blown on flugelhorn – sometimes bold and vibrant, soaring out in the company of an excellent group that includes Caleb Curtis on some especially nice alto and flute! The keyboards shift throughout – as Orrin Evans plays acoustic piano on five titles, and Adam Faulk handles Fender Rhodes on seven more – creating a nice shift in color that furthers the spirit of the tunes, driven by rhythm work from Madison Rast on bass and Anwar Marshall on drums. Titles include "Black", "An Uptown Romance", "Yellow", "Presence", "The Conceptualizer", and "Green".  ~ Dusty Groove

SJOB MOVEMENT – FRIENDSHIP TRAIN

Fantastic funk from SJOB Movement – a 70s group who only cut a handful of records – all of them every bit as righteous and heavy as this one! The group have a perfect fusion of funk, psych, and other cool elements – all served up in a blend that's more straightforwardly soulful than some of their contemporaries, but not averse to trippier sidetracks too – especially when a bit of moogy keyboards come into the mix, and space things out nicely alongside the riffing guitars and tight horns in the groove! The sound is perfect – neither in a too-familiar Fela mode, nor in the too-dark style of some of the group's contemporaries – full of life, but never losing its focus – on cuts that include "Friendship Train", "Love Affair", "Odiaria", "let's Do It", "What Could It Be", and "Halleluyah". Also includes a bonus track – "Love Affair (Sol Power All-Stars rework)".  ~ Dusty Groove

ANTHONY NICHOLSON – GRAVITY

A great full length set from Anthony Nicholson – an artist who's done so many great singles and mixes over the years, but never gives us as many albums as we'd want! The album's steeped in the soulful currents and righteous modes that Nicholson's always had in his music – the kind of sophisticated groove that's always gotten him great respect on the global scene, even if he never full gets his due back home (although we're hoping this album might change that!) The set's fantastic – full of great keyboard work from Nicholson and William Kurk, who also sings a bit too – and whether the tunes are vocal or instrumental, they're brimming over with soul – almost kind of a 21st Century extrapolation of the Chicago spirit of Donny Hathaway, but through a legacy that also includes Windy City house. Titles include "Discojazzfunkdelite", "Over & Over", "Under Your Spell", "Gravitation", "Miquifaye El Tema", "Imagine", "We'll Survive", and "Too Late".  ~ Dusty Groove


No comments:

Post a Comment