German band Re:Jazz have just celebrated ten years together and
'Kaleidoscope' is their fifth studio album. It opens in wonderful style
with the delightfully soulful 'Don't Push Your Luck' which features
vocals from N'Dea Davenport. It's a great throwback to the best of the
Acid Jazz years and it's every bit as good as anything that Ms
Davenport's erstwhile employers, The Brand New Heavies, have ever come
up with. The band's new, "regular" vocalist, Mediha, is out front on
'Wonders Of The World' which offers more of the same vibe.
Mediha
features on two more cuts – 'At First Glance' and 'Tears'. The former is
a sultry, contemporary soul shuffle while the latter is an interesting
twist on the Robert Owens/ Frankie Knuckles house classic. There are two
more vocals on the set- the loose and jazzy 'It's All Good' which
features Nathalie Schafer from German electro band, Nekta and 'Out Of
Phase' with vocal from London's Andy Herbertson. That one's a sinister
sounding pop ballad with a catchy melodic hook in the chorus.
So plenty of variety in the vocals – equally matched by the range of
instrumentals. They go from the Herbie Mann-influenced 'Voodoo People'
through to the funky 'Eins, Eins' and in between there's the cinematic
piece 'Windy City' and a cover of Squarepusher's jaunty 'Iambic 9
Poetry' which allows band leader Matthias Vogt to display his keyboard
skills.
A truly diverse album this and one that contemporary soul fans in particular should investigate for the vocals cuts.
- http://www.soulandjazzandfunk.com
No comments:
Post a Comment