Title:Crazy Vibes and Things By: Down to the Bone Released by: GRP Records Released on: May 21, 2002 Rating (out of 10): 8 Date: 04/06/2002
Dancing in My Chair
Down to the Bone is a British jazz band who came to the United States, settled in New York and, being first-rate musicians, took up that New York state of mind right off the bat. Made up of Stuart Wade and Chris Morgans, Down to the Bone began their successful run of albums with From Manhattan to Staten in 1997.
With funky bass lines and beats, the closest comparisons available is to Brand New Heavies, whose saxophonist (Paul 'Shilts' Weimar) put together the backup musicians for Wade and Morgans so they could round out their previously sparse sound. That collection of players (Weimar, bass-player Paul Turner, drummer Tony Mason, percussionist Satin Singh, sax/flautist Adrian Ravelle, guitarist Tony Remy, and keyboardist Neil Angilley) contribute to the new Down to the Bone album, Crazy Vibes and Things. Their first release on GRP Records, this one showcases a stylistic progression from their earlier work; they've become less strictly a jazz band, adding an R&B tinge to nearly every song.
There's a sense of musical collision on this album, of very different mindsets crashing and a new sound being born of the wreckage. The result is an oddly entrancing sound, one that excites because in most cases, it's impossible to predict where the music will go next. As the band pulls away a bit from their earlier smooth jazz sound (From Manhattan to Staten, Spread the Word) and heads into funk, there's a fresher sound, one more immediately accessible. Only one thing—a seeming dependence on electronic wizardry—that hampers the progression of this fine band.
Up first is “Electra Glide,” which offers a suspenseful sound made up of wonderful horn riffs playing over top of the chugging bass-and-drum combo. Those horns are just amazing, taking the song from a vaguely "Shaft"-ish sound to something exciting. The electronic doodles are a little distracting, drawing attention as they do away from the horns and overall sound, but still...I found myself dancing in my seat with this one, loving it. Special note, not only to the excellent horns, but to Neil Angilley's all-over-the-map keyboard improv.
I understand that one of the points of new jazz is improvisation, but somebody needs to check the video-game-like electronic noise. It really gets in the way of a couple of these songs; in some cases, I found myself focusing on that to the exclusion of some wonderful music and had to go back and listen again and again to mentally block out the whirs and beeps.
Unfortunately, the second song, "On a Roll," slips into what was only threatened on the first tune: the TV "Shaft" theme song, combined somehow with a KC and the Sunshine Band sound. The electronics burbles and gurgles tacked on here and there come off like what my three-year-old daughter immediately picked out as the Star Wars music. "On a Roll" is an action movie soundtrack waiting to happen...and it goes on far too long, replaying the same riffs again and again; even the horns can't save it. This is without a doubt the weakest song on the album...
...followed by the strongest. "I Softly Surrender (to You)" is magical, with Singh's lovely tinkling bells and Turner driving a slow, funky beat. This is great music to sway to! My mind created steamy lyrics based on the title and the sexy music; this is what jazz should be. In a kind of backhanded compliment, the electronic meandering doesn't show up here, thank God, giving me the opportunity to really fall into the song. I'll be listening to this one over and over.
Two tunes are clearly meant to be dance hits. The first is "Crazy Vibes and Things," which bounces along easily, with charming good nature and Adrian Ravelle's lighthearted sense of excitement. The combination of his flute and horns is just spectacular on this one, and the building, ever-more-prominent keyboards make the title track a fine selling point for the album. The second obvious dance tune is "Searching for a Simple Groove," which didn't impress me as much, reminding me more than anything of the soundtrack of any given '70s blaxspoitation flick. I've read other reviews that call it "fresh and fun," but of all the songs on Crazy Vibes and Things, this one seems to me to be the most hackneyed, the least original. The "Hey-ay!" shouts don't improve the song, which is mostly monotonal with various instrumental meanderings added to keep it from being entirely one-note. I got fed up with this one about four minutes into it...and suffered for the last two. It may sound okay on the dance floor, after a few cocktails, but it's definitely not "listening" music.
“My One And All” is a bit of a departure for Down to the Bone, featuring as it does a female vocalist (Hill St. Soul's Hilary Mwelwa). This is a super idea, adding Mwelwa to the mix; her voice is a gift. Thanks to her, this one treads lightly the line between jazz and R&B, and I can see it ending up a hit on the R&B/Pop charts. She's sultry and smooth, while still projecting energy and power. This is the song I feel closest to, the song that somehow combines for me the jazz I'm learning about and the R&B/Pop styles I know and love.
I wonder, is Chris Morgans is still with the band? His name doesn't appear on any of the songwriting credits this go-round (it's all Stuart Wade, alone or with help), and the change of style would be odd for a man who says his musical influences are heavy-duty hip-hop. Unlike From Manhattan to Staten, there's no feeling of roughness here; this is all smooth as silk, exciting in its own way, but certainly not hard-core in any fashion.
Down to the Bone is a new kind of sound for me. I'm lucky I learned about it with Crazy Vibes and Things; this album is surprising, exciting, sensual, and easy to like. With only one exception, the songs are uniformly good, with a couple reaching into the Excellent category. Though I didn't expect to like it much, I ended up liking it a great deal, and I'll be listening to it often. I recommend you do the same.
