You can ALWAYS count on Big Brooklyn Red. Having already been hooked on this gentleman's music from early 2003 with his instant-favourite "Foreword" album, he has carried on with his unique, soulful excellence with a number of uptempo soulful tunes for the Deep Haven label such as "He Moves" and "All I Want", as well as hooking up with Patrick Green on Distant Music for "Shine Your Light On Me". These are seriously soulful and essential tunes and all are a must for your collection. OK, so 6 years or so have passed since "Foreword", and Big Brooklyn Red bounces back with a KILLER album of soulchoonz for the soul, for your dancing feet and four your heart. Gary Spence has spun one particular tune to a terrific response in the form of "Taking It Too Far"; a sumptuously deep and funky head nodder which is underpinned by Lowrell's "Mellow Mellow, Right On" sample complete with funky moog and great improvisation from Red. Superb and so right for a radio stormer.Fans of this Great Man will soon latch on to a lot of these grooves, and tracks such as "Home To You" strike a real chord - especially for me - and the positivity of "Believe In Yourself" will also get some ass moving on the floor. Brilliant, and so it continues. the superb "Sunrays" boasts a bassline enough to give you the "funky face". Fans of Prince will know what I'm talking about!!! "Mind, Body And Soul" is another tip-top effort, and musically would not be out of place on either of Woody Cunningham's albums for Expansion. The masterstroke has to be the cover version of Marvin's "Sexual Healing". You know how I froth at the mouth over cover versions, folks, but with Red we need not worry. This is like a completely different and new song! The only similarity with the original are the lyrics, and these are even totally reworked and restyled. This bubbly, percussive cut is jam-packed with real instruments: the bongos, funky slap bass guitar and racy rhythm totally make this a completely different beast. If this is up your street then the "Boogie Wonderland" styled groove of the socially conscious "Truth" will knock you for six. This is one of THE essential albums of 2009. Grab one up ASAP!!!!
Barry Towler
The Vibe Scribe
The Vibe Scribe
