Each track on this debut album from this UK singer and his 9-piece band positively bubbles, simmers and swivels with energy. Some tracks rage so much that you miss things and immediately hit play to see what. The songs are very well structured and have benefitted from being long honed in the rehearsal studio.
A good case in point is ‘Hard Work Dedication’, all lacerating hooks and an obvious single. But, look beyond those and you’ll find a glorious orb of a melody. The press release advertises him as “A Young And Gifted Man From Suffolk”. One listen to this and you’ll see why.
The instrumentation is well deployed. The keyboards know when to ebb and flow and horn sections aren’t used to paper over cracks. There is a real hard funk line at the base. Close your eyes and it could easily be Grandmaster Flash or Bootsy Collins playing.
It sounds like a party in their heads. It’ll soon be in yours, too.