I remember when Jamiroquai first blew up. Everyone went on about how unique his blend of soul, disco and funk was. I just thought that he sounded like the Brand New Heavies. In case you’ve never heard of them (they have pretty much flown under the radar), they are a great, feel-good, British party band who were part of the first wave of acid-jazz acts that were popular in the early to mid-1990s. They often collaborated with some of hip-hop’s finest: the likes of Tribe Called Quest, the Pharcyde and Gang Starr.
Get Used to It (Just) sees the group reunited with original singer N’dea Davenport, who left the band in 1994. They pick up exactly where they left off. “Bring back the funk in music,” she suggests on one track, and that’s clearly the group’s mandate — one they heed admirably.
Unfortunately for them, though, a lot has changed musically since the days of acid jazz, and the Brand New Heavies haven’t updated their sound. They will not, therefore, get much attention for this album in the current climate, where 1970s sounds like funk have been replaced by 1980s sounds like electro. But, while not necessarily a trendy album, Get Used to It’s quality cannot be disputed, and the Brand New Heavies’ music, more than 10 years on, is still oozing with funk and soul.
ALSO ON THE SHELF
Action Action
An Army of Shapes between Wars (David Gresham)
The title of this album says it all. “An army of shapes between wars” — what could that possibly mean? It’s nonsensical. Similarly, the album’s lyrics are wilfully obscure and the music is bizarre and hard to describe, but not in a good way. This type of music can be incredibly powerful, provided there is some skill or coherence involved, and Action Action possesses neither. The main definable style that comes out of this album’s lumpy pulp is the not-so-new-wave sound of bands like The Cure. In their bio they are reputed to sound like The Killers and The Bravery. This may well be the case, provided the listener smokes a lot of crack before pressing play — which should put one on the same level as the band’s songwriter.
This reminds me a bit of when grunge blew up. There were great bands, the Nirvanas and Soundgardens, which inspired countless crap bands that record companies signed in a flash and then tried to foist on the unsuspecting listener. Franz Ferdinand are cool and The Killers are cool; Action Action fall flat on their face while trying desperately to jump on the bandwagon. — Daniel Friedman
Avant
Director (Universal)
Lights, camera and action! Ladies, meet Avant and please don’t confuse his stage name with that of overplayed South African gospel super-group Avante. And while on that tip, prepare to be dazzled — this album could well put the cherry on top for what seems the year of R&B. Avant is the latest United States R&B sensation treading the path led by young musos such as Neo of Sexy Love fame and the charismatic Cris Brown. Director is Avant’s debut album under the Geffen Records label. It features 15 urbane tunes sung with the brilliance associated with the “I grew up singing in the church choir” style of black America. The music is not at all different from the same old R Kelly lilt, but Avant succeeds in reproducing a familiar sound while giving it a slight difference in meaning, feeling, tone and colour. He features big names of the hip-hop game, in the indefatigable Jermain Dupri, Lloyd Banks and teenybopper Li’l Wayne. He is also featured by the Pussycat Dolls in a remix of the popular Stickwitu. Much of the content is R&B, but the three or so hip-hop/R&B combinations are off the hook. It’s a wrap — cut! — Monako Dibetle
LL Cool J
Todd Smith (Universal)
LL Cool J’s career of late brings life to the Fishbone lyric of “death by saccharination”. The lover boy’s sales are waning and this one fell off the charts in six weeks without going platinum — a rarity, in his case. As a result, there are murmurs of a looming retirement. But really, beyond the juveniles shagging each other raw in the corner of some dingy dive, who cares what he does with his waning creativity? Still, LL can be intoxicating if you prefer your hip-hop in the form of club music rather than street knowledge. Control Myself, featuring J-Lo, might probably call Missy Elliott to mind, but it should evoke Afrika Bambaata, as it samples his electro-classic Looking for the Perfect Beat. Although he should be punished for being formulaic, I fell for Favorite Flavor because it reminded me of my love affair with his own early-1990s classic Round the Way Girl. The album is filled with these moments of prefabricated nostalgia. If you can’t handle that, do as I will and wait patiently for his retirement. — Kwanele Sosibo
MLK
MLK Presents Suits and Dashikis (Kurse Music Distribution)
MLK presents Suits and Dashikis is transcendental and dubwise, yet distinctly house. A retrospective of sorts, it pulls together this producer/DJ’s essentials, including hard-to-trace singles, remixes, dubs and exclusives. With Suits and Dashikis, MLK (Michael Kenneth Lopez) travels a similar path to 3 Generations Walking, his collaboration with Herman “Soy Sos” Pearl. Deep, rumbling basslines, distantly seductive vocals and ambient sounds return, but generally, less eclecticism is exhibited here, being sacrificed instead for a concerted effort at establishing a discernible blueprint. Overall, this is a moody album that, midway, emerges from a dub-induced lethargy into perky Latin house and the whole scope of MLK’s influences, which encompass jazz, Indian percussion and jazz-fusion. — KS
Paul Weller
As Is Now (Just Music)
No matter what you say about Paul Weller, he is one soulful, well-dressed guy. The Modfather has surprised all, sustaining a solo career over almost two decades, despite a number of incredibly poor records. His new effort, As Is Now, has been billed as a return to form of sorts: nowhere near his best moments, but also nowhere near his worst. I, on the other hand, believe that mediocrity is never something to be applauded, even when it is the frontman of the legendary Jam that we are talking about. He may have written a number of half-decent songs — such as the first single, From the Floorboards up — and coaxed some acceptable performances out of his band, but that is still not enough reason to spend one’s hard-earned cash on this album. For Weller fanatics only. — Lloyd Gedye