Tuesday, October 30, 2018

New Releases: George Freeman - Man & Woman; Neneh Cherry - Broken Politics; Jacques Lesure - For The Love Of You


George Freeman - Man & Woman

One of the more laidback albums from George Freeman's early 70s run – but still a great little set that shows the mellower side of his talents! Despite the sexy style of the cover, the sound here is relatively straight soul jazz – small combo work with Harold Mabern on acoustic piano, Kenny Barron on electric piano, Bob Cranshaw on bass, and Buddy Williams on drums – all in support of Freeman's snakey guitar lines over the gentle rhythms and slinky grooves. George's sound is slightly less tripped-out than on other records, but still has that undeniable Freeman tone – a raspy edge that's quite different than most of his contemporaries! Titles include "I Ain't Got Nobody", "You've Changed", "Groovy Lady", "Squeeze Me", and "Till There Was You". (Part of the Groove Merchant Mo' Groovy Collection!) ~ Dusty Groove

Neneh Cherry - Broken Politics

One of the greatest things about Neneh Cherry in recent years is the way she's developed a strong sense of creative collaboration – which she definitely continues here, on a record done with great help from Keiran Hebden! Hebden produced, mixed, and co-wrote much of the set – and most of the music feels as if he's making contributions as well, although at a level that's quite different than most of his own music – almost as if the strong vocals and lyrics from Neneh helped unlock this really great corner of his talents, which get refocused on the record to also help bring a strong sense of vibrancy to Cherry's music as well – and almost have us rediscovering her all over again. Cherry and Hebden have worked together in the past, but there's really something different – and more soulful – going on here. Titles include "Shot Gun Shack", "Deep Vein Thrombosis", "Fallen Leaves"," Kong", "Faster Than The Truth", "Black Monday", and "Natural Skin Deep".  © 1996-2018, Dusty Groove, Inc.

Jacques Lesure - For The Love Of You

Guitarist Jacques Lesure has a nice round tone – a strong single-note line that reminds us a bit of Bobby Broom at times, but which is also set up here with superb accompaniment from Eric Reed on piano, Tony Dumas on bass, and Willie Jones III on drums! Lesure's no-nonsense right from the start – with often more of a sharp focus than Reed's piano, which makes for a nice mix of modes – and really emphasizes the clarity of his tone when his solos take off! Tunes include a long take on the Cedar Walton classic "Holy Land", a sweet version of the Marvin Gaye classic "I Want You", and versions of "The Lamp Is Low", "For the Love Of You", and "That's The Way Of The World".  ~ Dusty Groove



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