Album Results
The Blackbyrds
City Life/Unfinished Business
Genre:
R&B/SOUL
Label:
Ace Records Limited
Release date: 1994
Album Reviews
This 1999 reissue combines two of the Blackbyrds' classic albums, City Life from 1975 and Unfinished Business from 1976, on a single 74-minute CD. To be sure, "classic" isn't a word that many jazz purists have used to describe the albums -- when Donald Byrd produced them, bop's hard-liners were denouncing the Clifford Brown-influenced trumpeter as a shameless sellout and insisting that he should have stuck to straight-ahead acoustic jazz. But then, the Blackbyrds weren't going after jazz purists -- their music was soul, funk, and disco with jazz overtones, and the people who bought their albums were more likely to be into Earth, Wind & Fire and Tower of Power than Sonny Stitt or Art Blakey. Unlike Stevie Wonder, Gil Scott-Heron, Marvin Gaye, the O'Jays, and Curtis Mayfield, the Blackbyrds didn't get into a lot of heavy sociopolitical messages; their forte was party music, and it is that escapist, feel-good mindset that defines the infectious hits "Happy Music" and "Rock Creek Park" (both from City Life) as well as memorable album tracks such as the mellow "Love So Fine" from City Life and the insistently funky "Party Land" from Unfinished Business. Calling this music escapist isn't saying that it's faceless or mechanical -- far from it. The Blackbyrds' party-time lyrics may not have been challenging, but musically, the band was creative, risk-taking, and distinctive. Even though they were primarily a soul/funk/disco outfit, the Blackbyrds came from jazz backgrounds -- and that jazz influence often works to their creative advantage on this excellent reissue. ~ Alex Henderson, All Music Guide
Track Listing
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Transient Pluxus |
| Hailing from Sweden Pluxus are an electronic three piece that have being plucked from the fringes due to their track, 'Transient', featuring in a decidedly slick advert for the new Ford Fiesta. Mixing mangled live bass, white noise crackles and twinkling ethereal organ the record is all at once startling and soothing and leaves an instant sonic fingerprint on the listener. This makes it perfect for advertising executives wanting to grab the viewer's attention and also explains why it has suddenly flown up the Shazam tag chart. A closer inspection of the band's album, 'Solid State', which was released on the avant -garde minimal techno label Kompakt earlier this year, further pulls the listener in. Despite Kraftwerk being a prominent influence the music is not easily categorised, veering from melodic washes of warm synthesizer to menacing electro moments in an instant, making the music all at once less urgent than most dance music but more engaging than Zero 7 style electronica. Despite being largely overlooked when they first arrived on the scene it looks as though Pluxus may well yet get another well deserved bite of the cherry thanks to this latest dose of corporate exposure.~Stephen Titmus~Copyright © Shazam Entertainment Limited 2009. All rights reserved | |
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