Another common denominator is that they both feature one amazing guest vocalist on two equally amazing tracks. The enchanting Bajka performs the vocals on ‘soundtrack for the sound eye’, adding extra depth and mystery to the in itself already cinematic backdrop of dalindèo’s orchestra. For Timo Lassy, golden boy Jose James pours some dark syrupy soul out over the jazz grooves laid down by Lassy and fellow musicians.

But don’t think that the only good thing about these albums is the vocal addition of two jazz greats. Dalindeo does a great job of scoring unseen dark jazz scenes with authentic sounds that are fresh and youthful at the same time. This also applies to Timo Lassy, albeit in his own genre of swinging uptempo jazz.

Being more of a funk/soul head myself I am not able to pin the genre, but I do know that of the similar artists I am familiar with Lassy is on par with Benjamin Hermann as far as I’m concerned. Also, I definitely like José James better on this than on his latest solo offering. The band that springs to mind as a reference for Dalindèo, maybe too obvious, is Cinematic Orchestra, sans electronics. But this should be taken as a compliment!

I can be quite brief actually. First off, this is a nice soulful album, that displays the vocal talents of miss Auldist beautifully, and shows real growth in terms of songwriting and styles. Whereas the previous album was a soulful affair, it was a bit bland in places and in my opinion could have done with a bit more variation. This album sees a move towards a more broad spectrum genre wise, which actually makes the entire album more of a whole, since it is done with subtlety.

As with many of the recent Lance Ferguson (the Bamboos, Lanu) produced albums though, the production is too crisp and glossy for my taste. This does not mean that this is a sugarcoated disc, no, but I prefer my soul and funk served with a bit more grit and rawness to it. And I know Lance is capable of producing the way I like, as he just released the Cookin’ on 3 Burners album, Soul Messin’, that does have the raw and snappy production I prefer. It also features Kylie on two tracks (one of which also out as a 7″ single), so check that out too (iTunes, Juno, Kudos)!

So, If you like a soulful pop album, sung by a deep soul voice and played by an authentic backing band of skilled instrumentalist, filled with real songs, then this is your thing. And you should definitely support this artist by enjoying & buying the full album. If however, like me, you like your releases as raw as possible, maybe you are better off just purchasing the 7″ and snatching up the Co3B album instead. Since the two most powerful funk oriented tracks are on that lil’ 45 plus you get some bonus Kylie on the Soul Messin’ LP.

On re-listening the album once more as while doing the final tweaking of this review, I must admit that I actually think the whole album is worth the buck and certainly surpasses the previous album in musical worth. This does not change the fact that I still would not have bought the CD myself, as I am trying to focus on vinyl, and this album is not on wax, but the 7″ (obviously) and the Co3B album are.

Buy 7″: Etchshop – Buy CD: Etchshop -  Buy digital:  iTunes / Juno.

Links: Kylie homepage, myspace, full press release @ ParisDJs.

Kylie will be touring europe this summer/fall and it will probably be more than worth it to catch her live, accompanied by Cookin’ on 3 Burners. See her myspace for the tour schedule.

And quite a lovely business it is. If this album were only to be judged by its cover, it would already rank high in my all time favourites. The cut-and-paste feel of the artwork and the specific images chosen by Symon Warwick are an excellent companion to the warm deep sounds on this LP. As on Quantic’s previous ‘band’ release Tropidélico (2LP back in stock now!), the sleeve excellently reflects the multitude of styles, referred to as “a multi-cultural patchwork” by its press release. Although I must say that the phrase does not fully do justice to the excellent production and signature Quantic compositions, which make this one of the most coherent Quantic band albums I have heard.

Quantic and His Combo Bárbaro

One of the things I feared when I first heard about this project, was that it would be another step away from the raw funk and soul that I so love in the first two Quantic Soul Orchestra albums, and felt he was moving away from in the Tropidélico sound. However, the drums are still manned by long time Quantic collaborator Malcolm Catto (drummer for the Heliocentrics a.o.), and there are some arguably funky raw tunes on the album in the collaborations with soul crooner Kabir. He delivers his raw vocals, brimming with emotion & experience, to Linda Morena and I Just Fell In Love Again. The latter has a heavy drum part that pushes the track forward at a relentless pace without spinning out of control. Much of this is due to Holland’s excellent production work, so that the drums are clearly in your face (ear), without taking away the attention from the vocals and other parts, making this my dance floor favourite of this album.

Other notable highlights are more experimental meetings like Albela where indian vocals are married to the south american grooves. And there is no reason to file for divorce; the piano work beautifully underscoring and assimilating the vocals into the Caribbean grooves. Another nice swinging rhythm is employed in Un Canto a Mi Tierra, which has a girl’s vocals singing over the instruments that groove their way into your brain. I can almost see the sunny village square where this song should have a video shot, happy locals and all (and ofcourse they have, see the micro site here). There are also some instrumental cinematic songs (Más Pan, Undelivered Letter, New Morning, Canção Do Deserto, Arianita) that make you see and almost smell the hills and landscape of Cali when you close your eyes, as if traveling through the hillsides by bus. It makes me long for a vacation that much harder. Al in all this is just a great release that deserves all the attention it has been getting and will definitely stay in high rotation on my various music players.

Since I’ve been pushing forward finalizing this review for way too long, I am now a happy owner of the double LP & the Linda Morena single, and Tru Thoughts have in the mean time even dedicated a micro-site to this release, containing additional videos to the previously releases B+ trailer and a full album preview (be aware that the sound starts to play immediately). The full press release can be found in the archives of ParisDJs.com.

Keep your eyes peeled for more funky Tru stuff this summer courtesy of Kylie Auldist, with a new killer 7″ (juli 13th) followed by a new album (august 10th), produced by Lanu and backed by The Bamboos. Other recent Tru Thoughts releases like Lizzy Parks’ all acoustic album ‘This and That‘ (all new material) and Domu’s collection of ‘One Off’s & B-sides‘ deserve some attention too.

Just in: Quantic and His Combo Bárbaro UK/France tour:

Aug 8^th – Big Chill Festival – Saturday headliner, Castle Stage

Aug 9^th – Brecon International Jazz Festival, Brecon Beacons National Park

Aug 28 – Rendezvous L’Erdre Festival, Nantes, France

Aug 29 – Shambala Festival, Kelmarsh, Northamptonshire

Aug 30 – Beachdown Festival, Brighton

Sept 1 – Root Music Festival, Upper Mill Civic Hall, Oldham

Sept 3 – Royal Liverpool Philharmonic, Liverpool

Sept 4 - Roundhouse, London

Sept 5 - O2 Academy, Bristol

Sept 6 - Electric Picnic Festival, Ireland

Freestyle has some cool thing coming up in store for us funk fans (including the previously blogged about Soul Messin’ LP). A quick list:

• Cookin’ on 3 Burners - This Girl / Four n Twenty (7″) [FRS7057] (both tracks available on Co3B myspace)
• Cookin’ on 3 Burners - Soul Messin’ (LP/CD) [FSRLP055/FSRCD055] (release July 1st)
• Cookin’ on 3 Burners - Cars (12″) [FSR075] (no previews yet, but tracklisting includes remixes by Diesler & Lack of Afro, remixing tracks off the previous album)
• The Sound Stylistics – Tie One On (12″) [FSR073]
• The Sound Stylistics – Greasin’ The Wheels (CD/LP) [FSRCD065/FSRLP065]
• The Impellers – How Am I? (7″) [FSR7056]
• The Impellers – Robot Legs (CD/LP) [FSRCD059/FSRLP059]
• Baker Brothers – Family Tree (12″) [FSR072]
• Baker Brothers – Avid Sounds (CD) [FSR064]
• Randa & The Soul Kingdom – Not Gonna Let You (7″) [FSR7055]
• Lack of Afro - My Groove, Your Move (CD/LP) [FSRCD0??/FSRLP0??]  (release September 7th)

All artist links point to myspace profiles, where some tracks are available as full length previews. All release links point to the corresponding page on Kudosrecords.co.uk where tracks can be previewed.

I’s safe to say that both the Co3B and the Sound Stylistics albums are highly anticipated, as both involve a-grade musicians, and both have previous albums that rank high in my all time favourite modern funk lists (Sound Stylistics being #1). Judging from the previews linked above they will not disappoint, but I have not yet discovered a tune as powerful as ‘Cook It’ in the samples available.

I have not heard of The Impellers before, but according to Kudos’ description they were formerly known as Ed Meme & the Forms. My first impression is that this is another funk/soul stomping band, led by female vocals and raw grooves. With all these upcoming releases Freestyle once again proves itself one of (if not the) biggest players in the field of raw, deep and hard-hitting funk. Freestyle also added Randa & The Soul Kingdom (from Perth, asutralia) to their roster, a band that from the sounds of their first single can be compared to Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings in an uptempo funk breakbeat mood. Their upcoming album will be produced by Lance Ferguson (aka Lanu / Bamboos) and will reveal if they will be able to match up to the sounds of miss Sharon & the Dap-Kings.

On a side note, RecordKicks just recently released an album by Dojo Cuts (feat. Roxie Ray). While I was not blown away by the “the 1-2-3s” single, the album gets praise from some top notch artists/dj’s like Gabriel Roth (Daptone), Lanu (Bamboos/Co3B) & Craig Charles (BBC). You can preview/order it on Kudos or at Recordkicks’ ithinkmusic page. And from the samples on these pages I gather this album is still worthwhile and at times even quite good, although in my book Roxie Ray is not the best vocalist out there.

The limited edition Vinyl EP + CD album already sold out its 500 copies, and the CD album is availble to order from etchshop since April 27th. The official release date was postponed by two weeks to May 5th, so let’s jump on the bandwagon of praise for Stonephace and write yet another review.

For those who are wondering if it is any good, the answer is: yes, the album is quite good. The thing is actually very bloody good. For people who like their jazz dirty and smokey, the sounds of this LP remind me of Cinematic Orchestra on acid or stoned like shrimps (or both), with some extra fuzz & grit added. Beware though, the trippy drug association obviously failed to impair these lads’ musical skills, which means they can all be heard laying down some killer chops.

The videos released alongside this project are a perfect match for the trippy beats & melodies that can already be considered quite psychedelic in its own right. Watch all of them on the Tru Thoughts YouTube channel, who have also added some live videos. After having watched those, I guess the only correct conclusion can be the following: not only will you have to scrape out your wallet to buy the album, but their gigs cannot be missed either.

I’d say this is one of Tru Thoughts strongest releases of the year, especially in the category of artists that I had never heard of (in this case because they did not exist in this formation yet). I mean, the next Quantic album (under the guise Quantic And His Combo Bárbaro) will undoubtedly be very good, but I saw that one coming. The same goes for the much postponed Kinny album that finally saw a release recently. In conclusion: these guys, although most of them already have a lengthy recording history, I did not anticipate them to drop such a great album. But I really dig their music and as a collector I am slapping myself in the head for not being in time to grab one of the 500 Vinyl EP’s.

Praise Out!

March 27th (today):
The Sweet Vandals – Lovelite
(LP/CD – Unique)
http://www.theminx.org/smf/general-discussion/the-sweet-vandals/0/
http://www.parisdjs.com/index.php/post/The-Sweet-Vandals-Lovelite
http://www.dustygroove.com/item.php?id=k2vnn37m7b&ref=browse.php&refQ=kwfilter%3Dsweet%2Bvandals%26amp%3Bincl_oos%3D1%26amp%3Bincl_cs%3D1
http://www.myspace.com/thesweetvandals
http://www.unique-rec.com/

April 4th:
VA – Contemporary Funk
(CD/LP – Tramp)
http://blogs.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=blog.view&friendId=35305671&blogId=478314126
http://www.tramprecords.com/index1.html
http://www.myspace.com/tramprecords

April 20th:
SMOOVE & TURRELL – Antique Soul
(CD – Jalapeno)
http://www.jalapenorecords.com/play/016/
http://www.jalapeno.greedbag.com/smoove-and-turrell/
http://www.jalapenorecords.com/
http://www.myspace.com/smooveandturrell
Smoove & turell – I Can’t Give You Up
(12″- Jalapeno) (out now)

May 18th:
Flevans – 27 Devils
(CD – Tru Thoughts)
http://www.myspace.com/flevansmusic
www.flevans.co.uk

release date tba:
Cookin’ On 3 Burners – tba
(“New Album Coming Soon with a surprise cover” )
http://www.myspace.com/cookinon3burners

release date tba:
Domu – One Offs, Remixes & B-Sides
(2?CD – Tru Thoughts) (rumoured)
http://rateyourmusic.com/release/comp/domu/one_offs__remixes_and_b_sides/

Already out, albums (no particular order):

Shaolin Temple Defenders – Chapter II: Gettin’ The Spirit
(CD – Soulbeat France) (produced by Eddie Roberts)
http://www.theminx.org/smf/general-discussion/eddie-mixes-and-masters-new-shaolin-temple-defenders-album!/0/
Shaolin Temple Defenders – Let Yourself Go (7″ – Soulbeat France)
http://monkeyboxing.com/content/shaolin-temple-defenders-let-yourself-go-–-2009-–-single-review

T bird and the breaks – Learn About It
(CD )
https://cdbaby.com/cd/tbirdbreaks
http://monkeyboxing.com/content/t-bird-breaks-–-learn-about-it-–-2009-–-album-review

Fred Leslie’s Missing Link – Fat Lip
(CD – Hammondbeat) (LP / 12″es delayed until further notice)
http://www.hammondbeat.com/hammondbeat/release.asp?k=373&r=2100
http://www.fredlesliesmissinglink.com/
http://www.myspace.com/fredlesliesmissinglink

The Fantastics! – Mighty Righteous
(CD – Freestyle)
http://blogs.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=blog.view&friendId=54671582&blogId=475991300
http://www.freestylerecords.co.uk/index.php?page=albums&pid=FSRCD048
http://www.myspace.com/thefantasticsfunk

The Rare Groove Orchestra – The Man With the Dirty Finger (CD – SoulJazzer)
http://rgofunk.com/
http://www.myspace.com/raregrooveorchestra

The Cherry Boppers – Play It Again!
(CD/LP Green Vinyl)
http://www.thecherryboppers.com/ (spanish site)
http://www.myspace.com/thecherryboppersband
Chris Joss - Sticks
(CD/LP – ESL Music)
http://www.eslmusic.com/news/sticks_released_today
http://www.mybossa.com/blog/2009/03/chris_joss_sticks.html
http://www.myspace.com/chrisjoss

Ursula 1000 - Mystics
(CD/LP – ESL Music)
http://www.eslmusic.com/news/mystics_released_today
http://www.myspace.com/ursula1000

Kokolo – Heavy Hustling
(CD – Record Kicks)
http://www.recordkicks.net/catalog/product_info.php?products_id=101 (LP)
http://www.recordkicks.net/catalog/product_info.php?products_id=100 (CD)
http://www.myspace.com/kokoloafrobeat

Diesler – Tracks On The Rocks
(CD – Freestyle)
http://www.freestylerecords.co.uk/index.php?page=albums&pid=FSRCD044
http://www.myspace.com/diesler

Anthony Joseph & The Spasm Band – Bird Head Son
(CD – Naive/Heavenly Sweetness) (featuring Joseph Bowie & Keziah Jones)
http://www.birdheadson.blogspot.com/

FUNKSHONE – Shining
(CD/12″ – Skyline)
http://www.parisdjs.com/index.php/post/Funkshone-Shining
http://www.myspace.com/funkshone

VA – Groovadelia 2
(2CD/2LP – Vampisoul) (Spanish 21st century groove)
www.myspace.com/groovadelia
http://www.vampisoul.com/

The New Mastersounds – Plug & Play
(CD – Fontana / One Note) (US release with bonus tracks)
http://blogs.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=blog.view&friendID=51153517&blogID=479051187

The Grip – Grab This Thing
(CD – Archer Records)
http://cdbaby.com/cd/grip
http://www.myspace.com/thegriptrio

Already out, singles:

Dojo Cuts – The 1,2,3′s
(7″ – RecordKicks) (mention of debut album @ RecordKicks)
http://www.recordkicks.net/catalog/product_info.php?products_id=102&osCsid=a95cdbe74d607f3d3c6d1a11835dd105
http://www.tunes.co.uk/tunes/details/13495.html
http://www.myspace.com/dojocuts

The Third Degree – Mercy
(7″ – Acid Jazz)
http://mixtapemaestro.net/2009/02/the-third-degree-mercy-duffy-cover.html
http://www.myspace.com/acidjazzrecords