Review: Fresh from offering up a string of fine EPs on Better Listen and Moonrise Hill Material, Saint Paul pitches up on Masterworks Music with a quartet of warm and summery re-edits. First up is the sweet afternoon breeze of "Don't Give Up On Love", a gently tooled-up take on an '80s soul gem rich in twinkling synthesizer melodies and hazy vocal snippets. "Fancy Rhythm" is even more sun-baked in feel, with languid trumpet lines weaving in and out of a smooth jazz-funk/wide-eyed disco groove, while "Relieve Your Mind" sees Saint Paul gently beef up a soulful disco shuffler. To round things off, he serves up the dusty, jazz-fired deep house of "Lundi Sous La Pluie" whose woozy horn samples and twinkling electric piano lines set a suitably blazed mood.
Review: Formed in 1970 and fronted by J Plunky Branch, Oneness Of Juju have gone through numerous personnel and name changes over the decades but are still peddling their Afrocentric take on funk and jazz to this day (currently as Plunky & The Oneness). This collection from Strut, though, focuses on their golden years in the 70s - and it's heavy stuff! While one or two tracks would fit nicely into straight-up funk sets, adding a little world flava, others explore model jazz, spoken word, Nyabhingi drumming and other more esoteric musical pastures. Imagine yourself surrounded by righteous dashiki-wearing dudes at a Panthers meeting in 70s Harlem and you'll get the general vibe...
We use cookies to personalise content and ads, to provide social media features and to analyse our traffic. We also share information about your use of our site with our social media, advertising and analytics partners who may combine it with other information that you've provided to them or that they've collected from your use of their services.