The New Mastersounds featuring Lamar Williams Jr. – Shake It – [TrackList follows] – Color Red/One Note Records ONRCD0024, 42:25 [9/13/19] ****:
Twenty years in the music business is a respectable run. British jazz fusion and bluesy funk quartet the New Mastersounds hit that mark this year and are continuing onward into a third decade. The New Mastersounds—no relation to late ‘50s/early ‘60s easy-listening bop group the Mastersounds—have been primarily an instrumental funk band but the New Mastersounds have entered a fresh era and fashioned an up-to-date approach with their 16th release, the 42-minute Shake It. Guitarist Eddie Roberts, drummer Simon Allen, bassist Pete Shand and keyboardist Joe Tatton are joined on Shake It by vocalist Lamar Williams Jr., son of bassist Lamar Williams (the elder Williams was the Allman Brothers Band bassist from 1972-1976). Trumpet, tenor sax and extra percussion also supplement some of the 11 tracks.
The CD opens with the Meters-esque title track, a soulful declaration of purpose with a feel-good groove, where Williams sings about “getting back on track.” The precise chemistry between Tatton’s organ, Allen and Shand’s driving rhythm and Robert’s scratching guitar lines is palpable and tangible; and Mike Olmos’ trumpet and Jason Mingledorff’s tenor sax add to the impactful arrangement. Three singles were released. The mid-tempo, slightly swampy “Let’s Go Back” has a plea to return to a relationship’s better days with lines such as “what happened to the middle ground” and “I want to feel like way back when.” Of course, in these socially and politically heated times, those words of mediation could apply to larger issues. The funkified “Taking Me Down” provides a bit of Latin jazz and an infectious backbeat and is highlighted by sax and trumpet chords which self-assuredly interact with the grooving drums, bass, guitar and organ. The romantic ode to devotion, “Kings & Queens,” has a Southern-sliced slant akin to the Neville Brothers’ New Orleans resonance mixed with some Memphis-laced funk/soul. Another memorable piece is the accelerated soul-jazz “Live Life Free,” where Williams sings about how “no one can tell you what to do” and “no one can tell you how you should be.” The horns and organ interplay on “Live Life Free” are harmonically hard-hitting, and the rest of the band lays down an intoxicating mood.
The New Mastersounds haven’t lost their commitment to funky instrumentals. The laissez-faire “Layin’ Low” is a solid slot of jazz-funk distinction with vivid organ improvising and a groove which cannot be overcome. The upbeat and up-tempo “Permission to Land” is an exhilarating collaboration with Thievery Corporation’s percussionist Jeff Franca. There’s no way one can stand or sit when this one is heard. One particularly noticeable instrumental is the ska-speckled “One the Up (S.K.A.)”—a tribute to 87-year-old Jamaican guitarist Ernest Ranglin, an early ska pioneer—which melds the New Mastersounds’ kinetic groove with a persistent Jamaican rhythmic perspective. The album concludes with a hazy, late summer stride on “Lovely Daze,” where Williams again sings about being with someone special and how difficult it can be for some to find the words to express their emotional state.
Performing Artists:
Lamar Williams Jr. – vocals (tracks 1-5, 7-8, 11); Mike Olmos – trumpet; Jason Mingledorff – tenor saxophone, flute; Jeff Franca – percussion (tracks 4, 9); Eddie Roberts – guitar; Joe Tatton – keyboards; Simon Allen – drums; Pete Shand – bass
TrackList:
Shake It
Let’s Go Back
Love They Deserve
Taking Me Down
Too Late to Worry
Layin’ Low
Live Life Free
Kings & Queens
Permission to Land
One the Up (S.K.A.)
Lovely Daze
—Doug Simpson
