Volkswagon Music 5

 

Molina, Talbot, Lofgren & Young - All Roads Lead Home, album review

Sentimental

Nothing diverging, but a comfortable familiarity across these three/four – as one would expect – and significantly better than the pretenders. Ralph Molina’s It’s Magical is a sweetness, harmonies reminding; Neil Young’s live acoustic Song of the Seasons (from Barn) is as nostalgic as it is meant to be, looking back and remembering, slotting into the album’s embrace with ease. Billy Talbot’s Cherish enters on a wave of fuzz, his vocal rasp on memory and thankfulness hopeful in its evocation of the moon; Nils Lofgren’s Fill My Cup adds a little acoustic guitar funkiness in the mix, another touchstone vocal reassuring us older ones, and the gentle harmonies playful in the punchier rhythms. A lovely album in the full sense of that sentiment.

 

Two Faces Music 39

 

Dada - Dada, album review

Not Advant-Garde

The birth of Vinegar Joe in many respects because Robert Palmer and Elkie Brooks are members. The only Dada album coming out in 1970/71, it is a mixrd message of some reasonably straight rock but also soul/gospel and other generally over-produced tracks: She Walks Away an example of the latter, where there is a great tumbling-down sax riff and powerful vocal from Brooks to open, but it is quite wild and random as it progresses, with theatrical backing vocal and other more mid-60s orgestrations and choric elements. But this is of its time and the whole is an engaging amalgam of sounds. Mostly penned by band members, there are two covers: Richards/Jaggers The Last Time as a faithful representation, and then Tony Joe White's Aspen, Colorado with gentle flute and big-band heavy lifting. 

Two Faces Music 38

 

The Soul Motivators - Do It Together, album review

Precursor

Retro

Lineage

Retro

Influence

Retro

Template

Retro

Prototype

Retro

Inspiration

Retro

Heredity

Retro

Antecedent

 

There is a lot of this about (see precursor posts/thread/celebration). Here is Canadian soulfunk/funksoul where Shahi Teruko sings sass&sweet history with this soulgrooveful band.

 

Mainly upbeat, the funk is at its core, and Let’s Do It Together is a great touchstone for the sound, here with fine rhythmic/punching/rising horns and percussive beat surrounds. Teruko is dynamic on Try (A Little Bit More), the horns here in graceful as well as growling accompaniment. There’s a little bit of soul-psychedelia on closer One for the Heads.

 

Get it here.