Here's my review of the new album - 1st draft. I'm gonna be tweaking it a bunch but I figured I'd put it up here. 


This is what I call a band defining album. The Funky Fab Four have a follow-up to their smashing success 102% coming out (One Note Records) that made me a little nervous. 102% was just about as perfect as a band like the NMS could make in my mind. I knew with the addition of Joe Tatton on keys I was in store for something different but I was a little nervous that they would try too hard to redefine themselves. Boy was I wrong and I am so glad I was. I am an admitted funk addict. I spend more time searching out funk music than I do work and I work quite a bit. In my collection of several 1000 funk albums this one will be my favorite for a long time to come. It has everything you need to get funky!

Most interviews and reviews about the New Mastersounds anger me quite a bit as they are always comparing the band to the Meters. Now of course I love the Meters but jeez-louise are those folks missing the boat. The guys from England have taken a Leeds Soul Stew of all types of dancing jazz – Funk, Blue Note, Jazz, Boogaloo, Afrobeat, the DJ scene, plus Soul and created a sound I call the New Mastersounds funk scene. It’s theirs and they are just being themselves. They took all these styles and created their own sound / vibe and although I will compare the individual musicians to others, out of respect, we should all take notice – This band has its own sound and they are going to beat you down with some of the greatest funk since the ……..I bet you thought I was going to say meters there ; )



Here is a song by song review:
Hole in the bag
Or some reason this song makes me want to dance the robot. It has a majestic or regal sound to it like a march down the street. Perhaps a nod to the UK side of these guys. It’s a royal precision of the queen mother herself. New Mastersounds jamming instrumental that puts a smile on your face and is perfect for a drive in the country. Simon is the spotlight on this as he breaks  in with his brand of fills. His technique is reminicient to Stanton Moore on this but his grooving style really takes it to another level. His high-hat usage in accordance with the snare hits is the stuff real funk drumming is made of.

I mean it so
B-3, Snarly guitar riff with a wah ending, Solid drums, and Bass that makes a cohesive conglomerate to bring it all together.  Then……Dionne is back –

“Please forgive meeeeeeeee!

Eddie’s solo is incredibly inspiring as Dionne apologizes from the heart to an unknown lover.

Thermal Bad
Best song on the album : ) I’m not going to sit here and have the audacity to review this song. Each category of the new sound is represented and produced into one fluid piece of continuity.  It takes all the sounds the NMS are looped in with and makes it 100% NMS. This song rips!


Looking for an Answer
Screaming B-3 kicking off with a blazing backbeat blends right into a soliloquy of vocal delight and answerback. Just like a slice of old time Marva Whitney backed by the JBs this is what funk is all about. Dionne Charles from the band Baby Charles guest stars and is like the best bowl of chili you can have. She barks a spicy bite, is an absolute delight to soak up and truly leaves you feeling like you are as satisfied as you can get. A song like this really gives me a feeling that there is a funk revolution right around the corner. I can hardly type as I get up and dance praying to hear the Dionne Charles / NMS combo live here in the States. Who knew these guys could sing too? The chorus “Looking for an answer to our ever growing problem!” will get you up from your chair singing along. It will be like you are an a Baptist church and you just got the spirit

“Worry, Worry, Worry, On my mind!!!!!!” will hit you from head to toe.

A breakdown sends a shiver down your spine as they rip right into an ever escalating chorus. Simon adds a triplet drum part that only shows his mastery to the backbeat whilst his Siamese-twin of the backbeat Pete Shand fills on Bass. I also have to remind myself to throw away my guitar as the hook of the verse is another Eddie Roberts lick that annoys me. It annoys me because I didn’t think of playing it first. Pure genius Just like the joker said to batman – Where does he get those wonderful toys? He seems to pull addictive licks off his utility belt quicker than I can string my guitar. If he wasn’t an amazing person as well as musician I’d slap him out of jealousy. Haha.

Altitude

These are mostly pasty white boys from Leeds and Wales, correct? Well B-3 soul like this does not come out of pasty white boys from England. Or does it? I’m convinced they hired Jimmie Smith on B-3, Kenny Burrell on guitar, Dave Bailey on drums, and the great Jerry (Jerold) Jemmott on bass to play the track. I thought only the Daptone and Whitefield boys could get that sound back and I was really wrong. The only problem I have with this song is that my wife mentioned how she thought snoopy (from the comic peanuts) should be dancing on to this. Now, I hear the song and I picture that minxish dog dancing in my head. Perhaps one day I’ll learn how to create flash just to make that video. If you are a blue note fan you will listen to this over and over again savoring it like one of the greats in the blue break-beat era. I was originally sad to hear that original keyboardist Bob Birch was no longer in the band. As much as I loved his style I’m almost as sad to report I had completely forgotten about him when I saw Smokin’ Joe Tatton the first time live. Now that the NMS has recorded with him I hope he is in the band forever. A true master. That word gets thrown around a lot and I often get abuse for it but in this case Fudge off. He’s a master keyboardist.

Kuna Matata

Fela? Femi? Antibalas? New Mastersounds? You almost want to sing the old Electric Company song “Which one of these doesn’t belong with the other” but you’d be VERY wrong. This afro beat delight has Troy Howe on vocals. It is very funky with all the appropriate head bobs but if you listen to the angst riddled lyrics it will touch you. It is a scream to the heavens for brighter days in the state of things that are 2008 in Africa.  I can picture someone who loves this continent shaking his fist at heaven begging for things to be better. A man who is in exile from his beloved Africa describing his trials and tribulations like a saint. You can feel him missing the days of a once peaceful and beautiful existence at home. Describing the corruption and enslavement of his people from the corruption weighs on the heartstrings. Much like the great Fela Kuti, Troy barrels his woes to us through spiritually funky afro beat provided by the NMS. In a recent interview on the Craig Chares Funk Show (BBC 6) Eddie described his lack of confidence in his ability of afrobeat. This is just as good as any other afrobeat band. The amazing thing is that it’s done without the typical horns. Superb song.

Chrysalis

This is the New Mastersounds being the New Mastersounds. Compare them to another band here? Well that’s just silly. This is their sound. B-3 leading the phrase, bass answering, and guitar answering and all the while the drums playing a beat that any MIDI engineer would sample in a heartbeat. Then as the cannon progression continues on they meld into a completely different arrangement. Joe Tatton screams into his B-3 as if his heart has been broken and he fell in love all at the same time.  Wah-Wah mixing in the parts to the song to make it a cohesive pot of soul stew.  This is the New Mastersounds funk scene.

Idris

Eddie Roberts – Why has it taken so long for your star to shine in the world? From the Soul Stylistics (One of 20 perfect funk albums ever made) to The Roughnecks to the Mastersounds it took too long for us in the US to know.  If you know the New Mastersounds live then when you hear the song Vandenberg Suite you know you are about to see someone surpass his love of his influences. Grant Green and Melvin Sparks are two of Eddie’s influences. I have seen all three live or videos of live. I own the entire collection of each of them. Eddie has now passed his masters. The solo he does here shows that he has soaked up all the chops and made them his own. I cannot wait to hear the rising screams of the fans as Eddie shreds this Blue Break beat style song live. Its Blue Note reincarnated but with a whole new take.


All We Can Do

A sign of the times we live in. Life is a lot harder nowadays and the beautiful Dionne Charles is back singing on this track to speak from the heart.  It’s perfectly written lyrics parleying her observations of the woes of the current state of the world. Then reminding us all she’s gonna do the best that she can and we should do the same.
Joe Tatton Keyboard solo is creeping angst wriddled gospel fill as he builds that Leslie Cabinet to rise and fall like the wind.
The real star on this track is Mr. Pete Shand. The outro jam of this is held together with such a powerful bass line I’m both impressed and smiling. Move over Paul Jackson, your title has been taken away by this monster of bass licks.

Beyond the Bleak Horizon.
Ok comparison people, who can you compare with this track? Um no one. This is pure new Mastersounds. Pete kicking this off with kick ass bass lick, then Joe tapping an organ lick to keep the beat with Simon. Oddly enough throwing this lick down on the organ as most would with a Wurlitzer. That’s what makes Joe a perfect addition to this band.  A quick 1.2 beat rest and then Eddie comes in with one of those licks that make him a master. There’s a lot of notes in those solos that are virtually effect free. Try doing that Mr. Van Halen! Ondes Martenot  (Look it up) style tremolos in the background and the wurlitzer in the background make this a conglomerate of jazz/funk that does not exist anywhere else. It rises up and up with blazing Eddie solo after another.  The band behind him added by percussionist Sam Bell (He should be touring with them imho) break it down in 10 different progressions while Eddie continues to tirelessly solo.  As if to mimic the promoters that have to remind the band to get off stage live the song slowly fades out. If there is a demo version I bet the soloing continues another 5 minutes.

King Comforter.
Look Out! We’re at Jazzfest now! This place will put you in the French Quarter sitting on a stool at Tipitinas. Dionne is back to take us through this sexy honky-tonk funk romp. Piano fills with a swaying groovy precision. Then Dionne enters the picture with the wail of love itself:

“I’ve made bad mistakes in my past. I knew none of them would ever last. But I know this time I hit the jackpot because my heart is gone, gone, gone. I never swapped you for someone new, From the very first time that I met you I knew it was true , true loving. “

Joe steps up and takes the piano into NOLA world while Dionne wails over it.  The song brings you a mint julep and a bowl of Gumbo. Up and down Decatur, up to Conti which takes us over to Burbon Street we go on a stroll of NOLA. It would seem that playing Jazzfest has made its mark on the band and I love it! The band knows how good this song is as it’s the first single from the album and well deserved it is.


Summary:
In my best English accent:: FUC*iNG BRILLIANT!!

Good point zephirnl. I wouldn't want to sway your first listening of this gem. I can't wait until you hear it! It is most certianly the best album I've heard this year. Lettuce, Baby Charles, and the Reverend Cleatus and the Soul Saviours were my favorites but have since been left in the dust. 

Sorry about the promo copy. I have my copy in a laser guarded vault. There's german sheppards and pit bulls surrounding my copy in a glass case. Much like in Indiana Jones, if I were to copy mine, walls would crumble around me and a big boulder would run after me. In less dramatic fashion Simon would simply kick my ass if I copied it. haha.

Like the NMS? What would have given you that idea? haha.

I totally understand you're not allowed (understatement of the year) to copy your promo. I was hoping you could get me in for my own legitimate promo.

But now it is only one week till the official release. So I can wait. I'll have to