So, my first ever jazz or jazz adjacent album is a live recording, not off to a great start.
There's a lot to like here however; this whole thing's got a really warm, cozy atmosphere to it, piano arrangements are all lovely, and Vaughan herself has a powerful singing voice (with a slightly raspy quality I find quite nice). Hell of a vibrato too.
That being said, I just wish the bass and drums were just a bit louder, but I'm guessing thats just an unfortunate quirk of the live recording.
I didnt particularly like the last track; with how loud her voice is all the scatting got on my nerves pretty quick. But overall, pretty solid.
I'm not sure if this is something I'd really come back to, but I enjoyed my time listening quite a bit, even if it's a genre that's far from what I usually gravitate to.
Quite possibly the hardest I have ever vibed in my life, the funk is absolutely off the charts on this one. When that solo hit in Stir It Up I was fucking ascending.
If i had to describe it in one word: colorful. Like a vibrant crayon drawing of the most beautiful country landscape your mind could think of.
Right off the bat, great choruses, beautiful guitar work (and don't even get me started on the times they bust out the piano/strings), all accompanied by the voice of the man himself. And he sounds great, he perfectly complements the aesthetic of the record with that warm baritone (i think its baritone?)
Although there are a few duds here; tracks like Hard Headed Woman and Longer Boats, while definitely nowhere near bad, don't reach the same heights as the rest of the album imo. Also, I feel like it could've ended with Father and Son (incredible track, btw) instead of the 1 minute title track and have been better album for it.
Solid stuff overall, only with a few blemishes that bring it down a bit for me.
First of these albums that I have actually heard before!
Endlessly fun and exciting, danceable rhythms galore. For how short it is (about half and hour), the band manages to pack a lot of great stuff in here. And their playing is quite great too! Catchy basslines, riffs, drum patterns, and we can't forget Alex Kapranos super distinct voice. Whether he yells or sings softly he brings an incredible energy to each track.
I could do without Tell Her Tonight though. The vocals are a bit... annoying, and it kinda feels less well thought out than the rest of the album. But regardless, excellent stuff.
Unmatched atmosphere. Encroaching darkness accompanied by one infectious groove after another.
It gets old. Really fast.
The vocals sound like shit at many points during the album (not because they are bad singers, the recording sounds terrible), I mean that first track seriously made my ears hurt.
There are some moments where I actually do get some level of enjoyment out of what the brothers are doing, but again, it gets old. This isn't exactly a versatile album.
Overall, eh. Seems like a standard country record to me (ignoring the sound quality); not awful, but not really something I'd come back to either.
Sometimes the bass is really great. Sometimes the beats sounds really cool. Sometimes the vocal performances are very strong.
Most of the time, though, it's just kinda alright… at several points during its runtime it just doesn't do anything for me, plus it starts to feel pretty samey, which is concerning for an album that's just over an hour long.
Again, there are some cool things here though. Sanctuary, Rough Out Here, Crazy Love, and Free My Mind are all tracks I actually enjoyed a good bit, but overall... eh.
Except Slum King. I fucking hate Slum King.
