Up on the floor for
some good times, it's party time New Orleans style.
“I've been searching
for the young soul rebels, I can't find them anywhere, where have you
hidden them?” That was the impassioned question posed by Kevin
Rowland on the first Dexy's Midnight Runners album Searching For
The Young Soul Rebels. Well Kevin, it would appear that they're
alive and well and have been honing their craft in a New Orleans
brass band for the best part of twenty years. Brass bands of course
being a completely different thing in America.
Over here the
associations are Hovis bread, coal-mining, ice creams and deck chairs
in municipal parks on a Sunday afternoon. In America, or more
specifically New Orleans, brass bands developed through the jazz
tradition, the emphasis being more about dance rhythms and partying.
And like a well cooked Louisiana gumbo, on this release there are a
few other ingredients thrown into the mix, such as soul, rap, funk,
and the quintessentially New Orleans tradition of second line and
jazz funerals.
Several albums into
their career The Soul Rebels Brass Band unleash their latest
entitled Unlock Your Mind. Knowingly or not it's very title
references the Funkadelic maxim of “free your mind and your ass
will follow” meaning this is not a record to be taken sitting down.
Resolutely upbeat in mood, the album comprises for the most part of
original tracks though there are a couple of fine covers; an inspired
version of Eurhythmics' “Sweet Dreams Are Made Of This”, and an
instrumental interpretation of Stevie Wonder's “Living In The
City”.
Album opener “504”
is a reference to the New Orleans telephone area code, which was on
its way to becoming obsolete but was reinstated in several
communities post hurricane Katrina. Urging the listener to “get up
on the floor and enjoy yourself”. The party vibe continues
throughout, most notably on the rap driven tracks “We Gon' Take
Your Body” and “Showtime”.
The title track is a
gently comforting soul/reggae groove complete with a pleading soul
vocal which sits nicely at odds with the faster pace of the rest of
the album. The band recently
toured the UK and judging by the YouTube footage it looks as if the
stage is where they truly shine.
New Orleans has taken a
physical and psychological battering in recent times as a result of
hurricanes and the global economic downturn but judging by this album
optimism and fun are still high up on the agenda way down south.
Click here for The Soul Rebels Brass Band website.
No comments:
Post a Comment