LTD –
SOMETHING TO LOVE / TOGETHERNESS / DEVOTION / SHINE ON
4 classic
records from LTD on 2CDs! Something To Love is a great little groover with
arrangements by Philly Soul maestro Bobby Martin – who mixes together funk,
club grooves, and smooth soul. Jeffrey Osborne's vocals really shine on this
one, too! Osborne's emerging strongly in the mellow soul mode on Togetherness,
too – especially on the album's two great ballad cuts, "Concentrate On
You" and "We Both Deserve Each Other". Devotion is one of LTD's
biggest from the 70s – a sweet mix of mellow soul and boogie. Shine On features
more solid boogie sounds – with the group still grooving beautifully in their
best late 70s mode at the cusp of the next decade! 37 tracks on a 2CD set that
compiles their last few years of the 70s! "Back In Love Again",
"Stay With Me", "We Party Hearty", "Material
Things", "Age Of The Showdown", "Stranger",
"Share My Love", "Say That You'll Be Mine", "One On
One", and "Dance N Sing N", "You Gave Me Love",
"Lovers Everywhere", "Holding On", "Jam",
"Don't Stop Loving Me Now", and "Let's All Live & Give
Together", "Don'tcha Know", "Shine On", "Where
Did We Go Wrong", "Getaway", "Lady Love" and more. ~
Dusty Groove
GIZELLE
SMITH – RUTHLESS DAY
Gizelle
Smith got caught in the rain on the cover – but you'd hardly know that, given
the sunny, upbeat vibe of the album! Smith's a singer who's been bubbling under
for years, and this sweet little set may be the one that breaks her out to the
big time – as the album has her going past the role of just being a female
singer with a funk group – into territory that feels much more able to take on
the world of mainstream soul! Not that the album's not funky – because it is –
but there's a cohesion here between Smith's self-penned lyrics and the
contributions of the musicians that's really wonderful – almost at the level of
an old school soul production, but at that refreshed level that the London
scene gave us many years back. As with some of the greats from those years –
like N'Dea Davenport or Carleen Anderson – Smith seems ready to take the world
on with her pride and power – on titles that include "Hero",
"Scared Of Something", "Love Song", "Ruthless
Day", "Twelve", "Hey Romeo", and "Dust". ~
Dusty Groove
MATTHEW
SHIPP – SONIC FICTION
Really
beautiful sounds from pianist Matthew Shipp and a very well-chosen quartet – a
group that features Michael Bisio on bass, Whit Dickey on drums, and Mat
Walerian on alto, bass clarinet, and soprano clarinet! The music is often moody
and slow-building – almost (although we hate to use this term) a noir take on
avant jazz, with this current of melancholy that shows us just how much Shipp
has grown emotionally as a musician in recent years. There's a beautiful
balance between freedom and structure in the performance – qualities that all
the musicians are very well-suited to express – and the whole thing is
surprisingly powerful, at a level that we really didn't expect. Titles include
"First Step", "Easy Flow", "The Problem Of Jazz",
"Cell In The Brain", "Sonic Fiction", "The
Station", "Blues Addition", and "Lines Of
Energy". ~ Dusty Groove
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