CURTIS MAYFIELD - CURTIS MAYFIELD
Don't Worry
[7:49]10.9 Mb
Move on Up
[3:41]4.5 Mb
Freddies Dead
[5:25]8.2 Mb
Superfly
[3:53]5.8 Mb
Future Shock
[3:36]5.7 Mb
Kung Fu
[3:49]5.7 Mb
Sweet Exorcist
[3:51]6 Mb
Soul Music
[3:57]6.1 Mb
Party Night
[3:46]6 Mb
Do it All Night
[3:40]5.7 Mb
This Year
[3:45]5.1 Mb
Tripping out
[3:53]5.8 Mb
Something to Believe in
[4:39]6.5 Mb
Loves Sweet Sensation
[3:50]5.8 Mb
Curtis Mayfield "Curtis Mayfield" Album Review
The Best Single Disk Compilation of Curtis Mayfield Work....!!!!
From the moment, he sang with `The Impressions', it was clear that singer "Curtis Mayfield", wasn't your average soul/R&B Singer. His vocals were seemingly effortlessly able to move from a Soft warm tone, to a gritty and ominous mood to the next. And along with being an accomplished guitarist (Something not usually associated with Soul/R&B singers), an accomplished singer / songwriter and a producer of some note. He remained a hugely talented individual, and one that although most people will undoubtedly know him for his exceptional "Superfly" soundtrack (and possibly his debut "Curtis" studio album), an artist that truly deserves something of a current re-evaluation of his musical output.
Firstly, it's important to note that this `Rhino' label release focuses squarely on his solo output, so those looking for something that includes his work with the Impressions, will need to look elsewhere. But as is the way with `Rhino's' releases, you get a very concise and excellently compiled album, that skilfully manages to includes the hits, but also include any possibly overlooked gems, that only a true interest in the artists work can bring. So have `Rhino' somehow managed to squeeze an impressive song catalogue into the 16 tracks that make up this collection???. Well...yes they have!!!, and remarkably they've pulled it off in such a truly impressive manner....so what you get are the well known classics, such as the gritty and urban grooves of "Freddie's Dead", "Superfly", & "Pusherman".. from his definitive Blaxploitation soundtrack "Superfly"...all moody funk, stinging brass and horn sections, dark psychedelic soul & cautionary R&B. And the mood changes with the inclusion of material from his "Curtis" album, with tracks such as: "(Don't Worry) If There's A Hell Below We're All Going To Go", "The Makings of You" & "Move on Up", that take the more subtle intimacy and lush arrangements, and progressive Soul of that album, and make for a varied listening experience. And here's why `Rhino' always generally impress me, by including tracks that maybe the causal listener (such as myself), probably won't be overly familiar with, and include them in their compilations so we can appreciate the inclusion of tracks such like : "Do Do Wap is Strong in Here", "Between you Baby and Me" & "Do be Down", which may well be required listening for those that are real fans of Mayfield's work. But for anyone fairly new to Curtis' work, or hasn't been following his career, these are like undiscovered musical nuggets of gold. And it yet again (in my eyes) establishes the `Rhino' label as one of the most consistently superb compilers of Soul or R&B artists.
Personally speaking...I wished that this could have been stretched out into a double-CD editon, as several of his essential cuts from "Superfly", and his "Curtis" studio album, didn't quite make the cut, and even some of his instrumentals literally begged to be included, and whilst I'm on the subject, why no material from his seminal "Curtis Live" album??....but again this is merely nitpicking at what has been created, to be a reasonably priced, one CD compilation of Mayfield's work, and even the die-hard fans that will probably head for the Double-disk Anthology (which includes his work with `The Impressions') will probably sneer. Even they would agree, that is probably the most perfectly complied single disk compilation of one of Soul/R&B finest singer/songwriters.
Video Curtis Mayfield - Superfly Live
Curtis Mayfield - Superfly
GRUVIS MALT - SIMON
Ark
[4:15]6.8 Mb
A Great Work of Fiction
[7:16]11.2 Mb
What Ladder
[2:05]3.2 Mb
Safety Train
[3:55]6.2 Mb
The Fists of Protocol
[3:31]5.1 Mb
Water Closet
[4:25]7.4 Mb
Some Sweet Nothingness
[3:15]4.9 Mb
B612
[4:15]6.7 Mb
The Heart Transplant You Can Afford
[4:10]6.5 Mb
Exit Strategy
[4:32]7.1 Mb
Gruvis Malt "Simon" Album Review
More Like Second Hand
Gruvis Malt have a couple out before this one. "Sound Soldiers" and "With the spirit of a traffic jam" but this one follows "with a spirit" more than "with a spirit" follows "Sound Soldiers"
Gruvis Malt is a really great alternative to jazz while being "jazzy". Sound Soldiers had no structure whereas the following 2 do. Kind of.
Their capabilites were shown on "With a spirit..." and I guess the "Simon" disc are redos of songs they played live but never recorded. More info on that on their website.
www.gruvismalt.com
Simon is musically excellent. From real musicians with a hard dedication to their fans. Their topics are really borderlined. I mean, they are obviously not youth oriented but its not all about work either. Its actually pretty hard to figure out what they are trying to say but their melodies and song structures exceed past most expectations.
Its a really beautiful cd. Don't get me wrong. Better works are to get their latest "Maximum Unicorn" via their website. "Maximum Unicorn" will definietly astonish you.
Simon is probably the more "rock" version of their "genre mashing".
Buy this. Trust me if you like horns, guitars, drums and jazzyness with some kind of words about stuff. No love songs just the best robots with freethinking abilities.
Video B612 Live at the Green Room 2004
Gruvis Malt performs B612 at their Simon record release party.
BRAINSTORM - FUNKY ENTERTAINMENT
Hot for You
[10:48]15.5 Mb
A Case of the Boogie
[9:06]13.1 Mb
Popcorn
[4:39]6.7 Mb
Funky Entertainment
[4:12]6 Mb
You Put A Charge in My Life
[4:08]5.9 Mb
Don't Let Me Catch You with Your Groove Down
[4:41]6.7 Mb
Brainstorm "Funky Entertainment" Album Review
Great big band funk
Brainstorm never received the recognition they deserved. As good, sometimes better, than Skyy, T-Connection, Slave, Crown Heights Affair and many others. Still hot!
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