Over the past few decades, there's been few contemporary soul singers who've won our hearts more than Eric Roberson – an underground hero who only rewards our faith in his music more and more as the years move on – a legacy that's certainly delivered on with this beautiful full length set! In a time when so many other artists are just content to drop a track or two here and there, Eric remains wonderfully committed to the full length set – which is a good thing, as it takes a longer record like this to really contain his mighty talents – vocals that are superb, a sense of songwriting that's classic in construction but contemporary in vibe, and a warmth and generosity that are boundless – and flow beautifully from track to track effortlessly. Roberson walked away from the major labels over 25 years, and his contributions have just been greater and greater ever since – as you'll hear on "Good Loving", "Lessons", "High On You", "Don't Run From It Baby", "Everything", "Seen", "Tried To Be Your Friend", "Letting My Guard Down", "Start All Over Again", and "All I Want" – plus an acoustic remix of "Lessons" with guest work from Raheem DeVaughn, Kevin Ross, and Anthony Hamilton. ~ Dusty Groove
On Field Theory, guitarist and composer Matt Panayides explores new sonic landscapes by mixing electric and acoustic sounds in a set of modern, highly original compositions. Field Theory is a departure from Panayides’ previous releases, Conduits (2016) and Tapestries of Song (2011), which were both acoustic, modern-jazz projects. Restlessly inventive, he is always looking for new ways to express himself musically, so in 2018 he began experimenting with Matt Vashlishman, a saxophonist and multi-woodwind instrumentalist. With Panayides on electric guitar and Vashlishan on the Akai EWI (electric wind instrument), the concept for Field Theory started taking shape. Panayides’ approach to composition is influenced by Wayne Shorter’s chord voicings and colors. Panayides says, “For me, the ideas for compositions come as if from another place. They can appear at any time, sometimes while practicing or on a gig. But the ideas can also come in a dream, or while driving, or standing in line. The trick is to capture these little musical nuggets as best I can so I can organize them later. This entire album was conceived in this way.” Field Theory is a contemporary, post-bop jazz album. Panayides invites the listener in with music that is at once familiar yet largely unexpected, with pops of contrasting colors that weave together images of sound that tell stories not unlike a great abstract painting.
The second entry in this much-loved, much-lauded project – a set of jazz reworks of tunes made famous by Black Sabbath back in the day – transformed here to a completely different idiom by the work of the trio! The first time round, these guys tried to pass off their debut as a lost vintage record – here, they're playing things a bit more upfront – and as a result, the album's actually more interesting too – taking more chances with the arrangements, and going for a presentation that really brings all these interesting sounds and colors to the tunes – instead of just trying to sound like a Black Sabbath record without guitar or vocals. Tracks are a bit longer, with a nice sense of presence in the way they build things up – and titles include versions of "Paranoid", "Snowblind", "Black Sabbath", "NIB", "Sabbra Cadabra", "Behind The Wall Of Sleep", and "Symptom Of The Universe". ~ Dusty Groove
Hot off her hit sensual funk rendition of “For What It’s Worth,” the Vietnam era classic she slyly re-appropriated for contemporary times, New York based singer, songwriter and vocal interpreter extraordinaire Rebecca Angel makes her long-awaited full length album debut with the vibrant, multi-faceted Love Life Choices. Vibing with longtime collaborator, veteran keyboardist/producer Jason Miles, and some top-flight session cats, the sultry, easy flowing vocalist makes every track an intimate invitation to join her as she celebrates her recent marriage and artfully chronicles the pandemic and other important societal issues. The set includes dynamic jazz, R&B and/or Brazilian tinged originals, exotic, atmosphere and groove-centered re-imaginings (of gems by Bill Withers, Bob Marley, Antonio Carlos Jobim and Sade) and a few memorable, previously released singles. www.smoothjazz.com
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