LATIMORE – TASTE OF ME: GREAT AMERICAN SONGS
Latimore looks surprisingly great after all these years –
and he sounds surprisingly great, too – still very much possessed of that
fantastically deep voice that made his 70s soul records so wonderful – but
turned here towards a more jazz-based setting! We'll be honest in saying that
we're always super suspicious of any record with "great",
"American", and "songs" or "songbook" in the
title – but this album's something very different than the rest – a way of
finding one of the great soul voices of his generation find a way to hit newly
mature work, and maybe re-launch his career in a wonderful way! There's plenty
of bluesy phrasing in Latimore's vocals, and backing is by a small group that
features lots of guitar work from Ish Ledesma, who also produced the record –
acting as another old soul star finding a new path. Titles include "Dig A
Little Deeper", "The Very Thought Of You", "A Taste Of
Me", "At Last", "I Love You More Than You'll Ever
Know", "You Are So Beautiful", "Let's Straighten It
Out", and "Cry Me A River".
~ Dusty Groove
MAX ROACH – AWARD WINNING DRUMMER
An obscure set from Max Roach – but right up there with his
best work of the late 50s on Mercury and other labels! The album features the
"award winning" drummer in a quintet with Booker Little on trumpet,
Ray Draper on tuba, George Coleman on tenor, and Art Davis on bass – a cool
piano-less group that hits some really unusual notes! Draper's horn provides a
deep bottom to the record, mixing with Davis' exotic tones nicely – and the
album represents Roach's increasing penchant for experimentation in the post
Clifford Brown years – tunes with an offbeat edge that's really great. Titles
include "Pies Of Quincy", "Tuba De Nod",
"Milano", and "Sadiga". ~ Dusty Groove
THE JIMMY CASTOR BUNCH – LET IT OUT
Jimmy Castor's a cat who's tried many styles in music – and
handled them all surprisingly well – from sweet soul to heavy funk, to Latin
grooves, and even the funky club style of this late 70s album for TK Records!
The set has Jimmy giving a nod to the disco generation – no surprise, given
that TK was a disco powerhouse – but the overall approach is maybe tied more to
his mid 70s records for Atlantic – with all the warm humor and funk of those
albums! On some tracks, it almost feels like Castor's trying to be a one man
answer to the P-Funk army – but other tracks are more personal overall. Titles
include "Time", "The Mystery Of Me", "Sweetooth",
"The Real McCoy", "Future Place", "Let It Out",
and "Bertha Butt Encounters Vadar".
~ Dusty Groove
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