Pastor Wiley Champion is a gospel singer with a hell of a voice – the sort that could have instantly made him a huge soul singer, if he ever chose to leave his faith – but which is maybe even more powerful here directed towards a spiritual sort of setting! The album's a very lean effort, especially for a contemporary album – recorded to two track analog tape in a church in Oakland, but with crisp fidelity that lets the vocals really come to life once the songs begin – as Champion sings with light backings from his own guitar, plus a bit of keyboard, bass, drums, and tenor. The whole thing is wonderfully without any sense of cliche – and has none of the slavish attempt to sound "authentic" that you might fear from a contemporary record like this – just the pure, unadulterated power of a singer who's worked in obscurity for decades, finally getting his due. Titles include "To Be Used By You", "Storm Of Life", "I Know That You've Been Wounded", "He'll Make A Way", "I Just Want To Be A Good Man", and "Who Do Men Say I Am". ~ Dusty Groove
A great criss-crossing of cultural roots, in the best mode of other projects on the Agogo label – such as some of their Latin and Brazilian-tinged recordings! This time around, though, the inspiration is from West Africa – core styles that are taken up by a group from Berlin, and woven into some new contemporary textures from the European underground – drums and percussion warmed up with keyboards, saxes, and guitar – all nice and jazzy, and almost offering up a contemporary small combo take on the music of Ghana and Mali – similar to recent recordings from other groups that take on older Ethiopian styles. Eric Owusu handles the lead vocals, and the percussion – and titles include "Adesane", "Amale", "Bassa Bassa", "Mokole", "Aawoya", "Suban", and "K33 Momi". ~ Dusty Groove
The great return of a classic French funk group – one who gave us some great records in the 90s as part of the Kif Productions imprint – born again here with a sound that's even warmer and more groovy than before! The group's as much of a soul group as a funk one – blending together great vocals, heavy basslines, and horns that match the best of the 70s – with all these jazzy currents in the instrumentation that mark these guys as real masters of their instrumentation! Vocals are in French, but with a universally soulful vibe – and the whole thing's got a snapping, joyous groove that rivals the collaborative spirit of some of our favorite late 70s Funkadelic albums. Titles include "Pipo Freak", "Toucher Toi", "Poulet Cut", "Super Lune", "Passe Passe", "Blue Funk", "Sur La Lagune", "Vie La Teuf", "A L'Abri Du Succes", and "Music". ~ Dusty Groove
There's a pile of vinyl on the cover of this album from Japanese trio Nautilus – and that's maybe a good way to get at the sound of their style – as the group work heavily from an old school mode, while still pushing things into some more contemporary rhythmic territory too! The approach is somewhere between old school jazz trio work and some of the choppier styles of the young generation of Japanese trios – yet still with a lot more focus on the solo side of things, which some of those other groups are lacking! Much of the energy of the record comes from the piano and keyboard work of Mariko Nakabayashi, next to the bass of Shigeki Umezawa and drums of Toshiyuki Sasaki – on titles that include vocal appearances from Hanah Spring on "I Want You" and "It's A Shame", Ayaca on "Part Time Lover", and Kei Owada on "Empty Faces" – plus a nice take on the classic "Little B's Poem", and the cuts "The Eye Of The Hurricane", "Sweet Love Of Mine", and "Nebulosa". ~Dusty Groove
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