Review: Dave Lee has described this epic album, his first under the lesser-known AC Soul Symphony alias, as not only a 'labour of love', but also a tribute to the soaring string sounds and musically expansive arrangements that marked out work by original 1970s disco acts such as the Salsoul Orchestra, MFSB and Love Unlimited. Predictably, Lee has delivered and then some, serving up a string of epic disco workouts that flit between sax-laden mid-tempo beauty ('Windy City Theme'), soaring Philly Soul revivalism ('The Philly Avengers', with its jammed-out, Billy Preston style electric piano licks), seductive slow-jams ('Music For Your Pleasure'), elongated invitations to hit the dancefloors ('I Want To See You Dance'), sparkling disco-funk ('AC Express'), Salsoul-esque outings ('Seneca Village') and tributes to disco greats ('The Talented Mr Adams', which doffs a cap to the great Patrick Adams).
Review: Initially launched in the mid-2000s as his tribute to grandiose, orchestrated disco, Dave Lee has decided to reboot his AC Soul Symphony project for a first EP of new material since 2007. The headline attraction is undoubtedly 'I Want To See You Dance', a sumptuously orchestrated and string-laden revivalist disco epic that sounds like a Tom Moulton-mixed collaboration between the Salsoul Orchestra and countless Philadelphia International artists of the mid 1970s. It comes backed by instrumental and acapella versions and bonus cut 'The Philly Avengers', a heartfelt instrumental tribute to the 'Philly Soul' sound smothered in Billy Preston style electric piano solos, simmering strings, rousing horns and flanged guitar licks.
Review: So it seems the man of a million aliases now has a new one, as having ditched his best known moniker post-Black Lives Matter, Dave Lee returns as Joey Montenegro and reworks this Yvonne Stevens-vocalled smash from 2005. Yes, you've heard the song a million times, but don't worry about that because this is 'Make A Move On Me' revisited, as the title suggests, in far more authentically 70s-sounding fashion. Admittedly DJ Spen & The Muthafunkaz' remix back in the day was similarly styled but even so, this turns out to be surprisingly essential.
Review: UK disco don Dave Lee teams up with Detroit vocalist Maurissa Rose, who since featuring on an Eddie 'Flashin' Fowlkes cut way back in 1995 has spent most of her career working in the soul/jazz/R&B arena, but who's latterly returned to a more dancefloor-oriented trajectory, working with the likes of Theo Parrish, Alton Miller, Royskopp and Lee's own Sunburst Band. Their collective experience and pedigree shine through clearly on 'Look At The Stars', but if soulful vocal belters aren't your thing then fear not because there's an accompanying, self-explanatory Moog Dub that's to die for.
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