Description:
Jean-Paul Maunick and his Incognito mates have spent the last 30 years refining and boiling down their version of acid jazz to a smoothly textured, immaculately produced sheen. Bees + Things + Flowers has a more retro vibe about it, filled with peaceful soul, stellar vocalists, and a few smartly executed covers. "Summer in the City" is a prime example of the latter, featuring a loopy vocal line, nimbly negotiated by Carleen Anderson, that floats over soft horns and snippets of playful synth. The singers Maunick brings in are often given the spotlight, even on a jazz flight like "Stand;" of course, a singer l
Jean-Paul Maunick and his Incognito mates have spent the last 30 years refining and boiling down their version of acid jazz to a smoothly textured, immaculately produced sheen. Bees + Things + Flowers has a more retro vibe about it, filled with peaceful soul, stellar vocalists, and a few smartly executed covers. "Summer in the City" is a prime example of the latter, featuring a loopy vocal line, nimbly negotiated by Carleen Anderson, that floats over soft horns and snippets of playful synth. The singers Maunick brings in are often given the spotlight, even on a jazz flight like "Stand;" of course, a singer like Jocelyn Brown isn't exactly easy to upstage. At times, the record sacrifices tight structure for wandering bliss, like on the nine-minute Earth, Wind & Fire closer "That's the Way of the World." On the other hand, it's not like you can't wait for that nine minutes to end. Maunick, as always, makes it sound like there's all the time in the world. --Matthew Cooke
Album Description
The enduring success of Incognito is one of the great stories of UK music. Inspired by the acoustic and soulful-yet-Laidback funk of Bill Withers, the haunting string arrangements of David Axelrod, and the close harmonies of Crosby, Stills, Nash, and Young, bees + thing+flowers was recorded with the 'unplugged' concept in mind. Every instrument is acoustic except the Fender Rhodes electric piano and Fender electric bass. The new album is a mixture of the old ('Deep Waters,' 'Still a Friend of Mine'), the borrowed ('Everybody Loves the Sunshine,' 'Tin Man') and the new ('Crave').
... (more)
(less)
Manufacturer: Dome
Release date: 2 October 2006
EAN: 5034093412087
My tags:
Add tags
Login
