I'm back from my holiday in Germany and I picked up some great new records.
Sometimes it's a mess that only a few British releases find their way to the
States. So here are some short reviews:
Da Steppas Project "Volume One - Moon Steppin'"
I was wondering that noone else has mentioned this 2 LP set before (except
on Paulo's excellent "Horas ..." playlist) because it is one of the best
acid jazz releases from the last years! Believe me! I.G.Culture (one part of
former Dodge City Productions) put together a great set of horn players,
started the drums, put some vibes and vocals into it and cut the horn player
loose. Every track is a monster and you can't stop nodding your head to this
music. For me it was the right thing, after all this Trip Hop, Jungle etc.
(which is not bad at all), because my favs are still groovy, dope,
instrumental acid jazz tracks. I.G.Culture came back strong and I can only
hope that there is a Da Steppas Project Volume Two in the nearer future! The
label is Dropzone (which is, I believe, a new label?).
Martine Girault "Revival"
Finally I bought it, although it was a Japanese import and therefore the
price of new BMW. Anyway, this album is worth every cent, and if you love
here classic "Revival", you will love this album. "Revival", by the way,
comes in a 8.40 min. version which I've never heard before. Another great
track is "Soulfully Yours", which made a break in the middle of the song and
moves into an awesome instrumental groove. The whole album is produced by
Ray Hayden from Opaz and has this typical Opaz sound burning in every track.
For me the perfect record for the weather now in Houston (lower 40s, can you
believe that?!), when it's dark outside, the fire's burning and a drink is
standing right in front of me. What I don't understand is why this album is
only available in Japan? There was a British release but it was soon out of
stock. Anyway, this is sophisticated soul as it's best.
The Max "The Present"
OK, this is a couple of months old but I needed a flight ticket to Europe to
get it. I remember when I got their 12" with "Just a vibe" more than 2 years
ago, featuring Xavier on vocals, with this typical Boogie Back sound. Their
whole album continues this great release with a bunch of excellent musicians
(Mike McEvoy, Ernie McKone etc.), and gives you the best JTQ album since 2
years. Indeed, all tracks are like songs from JTQ during the early 90s,
which is great because I love their albums. The tracks are damn groovy, with
some great vocals from Xavier and others, and their is no bad track on the
whole CD. There are a lot of improvisations because of the huge list of
musicians (I think about 15-20 people are mentioned in the sleeve). Enough
said, it's a great album.
Alright, have to go back to work. I know that this was mentioned a lot of
times before but I would love to read more reviews especially from European
releases, because it's really difficult to even hear this stuff in America
(OK, in S.F. or N.Y. you don't have this problems, but in Texas???).
Peace from Houston, Gilbert (gmg@hgc9.sph.uth.tmc.edu)