MIKAEL - GROOVEOLOGY: THE FINALE
Hailing from Dayton, OH, former lead guitarist from the
famed Commodores for ten years, Mikael has now arrived at another leg of his
journey and is launching his third album, “Grooveology (The Finale)”. This CD
brings in flavors from Brazil, along with some Ohio Funk, to the sounds of Jazz
as one might imagine would have been played behind the doors of the Cotton Club
back in Harlem. If you want songs with romance, Mikael has covered that too in
his remix of “Sadie”, as well as in the
melody of “If I Could”. These are just a few of the love songs found on “Grooveology
(The Finale”. In total, there are 14 songs which also include his hit from a
previous album, “Highway 105” as well as “All I Do”. Songs with the Latin beat
are “Como Te Llamas” and “ By The Way”. The tempo in the first is wickedly fast
and highly upbeat with a brass section that punctuates all the Latin flavors
and showcases the brilliance of Mikael on classical guitar. Both of these songs
are very exhilarating and sure to liven up any dance floor. Also, his title
song “Grooveology” is quite electrifying and shows how well he blended in that
crazy Funky sound from his days when he performed with Walter "Junie"
Morrison of the “Ohio Players”.
COLLECTIVE PEACE - INTRODUCING COLLECTIVE PEACE
A very cool collective from the contemporary Detroit scene –
one led by a soulful saxophonist, and a great female singer – working here with
strong guest contributions from Amp Fiddler, Zo, Dwele, Marcus Douglas, and
John Bibbs! Saxappeal handles the reed solos and production – and the album has
this crispy blend of jazz and contemporary soul, put together without any
commercial schmaltz – at a level that reminds us of some of Zo's own music, but
with less of a keyboard focus overall. The presentation is wonderful – very
fresh, especially in some of the rhythms and instrumentation – but with more
than enough classic roots to appeal to our ears, too – and titles include
"Love's In Waiting", "Let The Music Play", "Track
VI", "Pillow Talk", "Let It Shine", "Soul
Bounce", and "Sun Chaser". Japanese pressing features the bonus
tracks – "You & Me" and "Let The Music Play (Jon Dixon
rmx)". ~ Dusty Groove
GABRIEL GARZON-MONTANO - JARDIN
The Stones Throw debut of Gabriel Garzon-Montano – a soul
singer with a nicely laidback vibe – one that lets his crispy, raspy vocals
fall in nicely between the keyboard lines and spare rhythms that really set the
pace for the record! The tunes are never too over the top – and Gabriel really
knows how to to more with less – allowing his understated approach to flow into
all the spaces between the notes in a really great way – a mode that might well
be echoed by some of his contemporaries. Titles include "Sour Mango",
"Fruit Flies", "The Game", "Long Ears", "My
Balloon", "Cantiga", and "Bombo Fabrika". ~ Dusty Groove
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