I am not well versed in Soul music. In fact the closest approximations that I have in my CD collection are David Bowie’s ‘Young Americans’ and the ‘Jackie Brown’ soundtrack. However, on listening to this album I feel qualified enough to state that it certainly ought to be a sure-fire hit.
MAMAS GUN were formed in 2007 by singer Andy Platts, bassist ‘Professor’ Rex Horan, Dave 'Eighties' Burnell on keyboards, Terry 'Spiller' Lewis on guitar and 'Union' Jack Pollitt on drums. The band’s title was taken from an Erykah Badu album, and the band members were apparently recruited by Andy via the internet after looking for talented musicians.
This is their second album, which follows on from 2009s ‘Routes To Riches’, and all twelve tracks (eleven plus a bonus cover version) fall well within the funk/soul genre. Although, that said, the band dishes up plenty of surprises that elevates this well above the likes of Jamiroquai, and whilst I found that a couple of Andy’s vocals share some similarities with Bowie during his plastic soul period, there is nothing remotely plastic about this. Opening with ‘Reconnection’, this sounds a lot more like heavy soul, with excellent keyboard lines and a pounding bass which insists that you get up and shake your stuff.
The lyrics throughout the album are thought provoking, track four ‘On A String’ having the brilliant line “When serendipity comes calling for you”. Not the sort of standard fare that you would expect ('serendipity' has been listed as one of the top ten English words that are most difficult to translate!).
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What I really liked about this album was that on listening to the tracks, you could close your eyes and almost feel like you’re in a 1975 New York disco, in fact if a film like Carlito’s Way used this as a soundtrack, it would add to the movie!
‘Rocket To The Moon’ is an excellently funky number with a humorous line in lyrics: - “Feelin’ good, feel all right. Do you feel the electricity tonight?/ The countdown’s started, so get on your light speed shoes... We’re stayin’ up all night in a rocket to the moon.”
The band do save the best till last though, ‘Only One’ an excellent duet with Beverley Knight, ‘The Art’ a soulful piano ballad with some apt wordplay: - “Behind these bright deceiving eyes, behind these lips forever smiling, Lies the meaning of despair, like a fugitive in hiding.” Finally, there is the bonus track, a flawless cover of Queen’s ‘Bicycle Race’, altogether now “I want to ride my bicycle, I want to ride my bike.”
On the strength of this can anyone believe that this won’t be a hit? A summer smash!
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