Thomas G and superb vocalist Swade fly the flag for French Soul Music yet again with their brand new 12" release - and what a 12" it is too! Very stylish, great quality and a grey marble effect pressing it's not your average boring release! Their reading on Side A is a fairly faithful rendition of the Whispers' 70s classic and the bassline may own more to Keni Burke's 80s work than anything else and is by no standards a bad thing! Here on the A side we have three versions, the vocal with aforementioned Swade, an instrumental version and an accapella. I rather assume that what will interest the likes of esteemed readers will be the three new songs on Side B! The title track is SUPERB! "Rhythm Of Love" is a great 80s dancer and would not be out of place alongside recent gems from Cool Million, Bennson etc...a modern dancer that harks back to better musical climes, Swade's lyrics and Thomas G's arranging and producing are superb! This is a real must-have for anyone reading this and I would like to see this on an upcoming CD rather than being confined to a 12", however colourful it may be!"He's Coming" is the least favourite song on here, but the slamming, relentless groove is still addictive and the relentless rhythm benefits from a great rhythm guitar that is so lacking from today's mainstream. The less frenetic groove of "Open Down Walking All Around" is more my cup of tea and gives us easier access to Swade's able vocal skills. this has a great mid 80s feel and owes more to the likes of Isobelle Antena or even Matt Bianco than anything else. Thomas G has a great sense of what makes a good record, and like me his heart is very much in residence in the 1980s. the difference being I can't play anything, the saw, spoons or even truant so the fact this man is amazingly talented in many musical fields is something I, for one, am grateful for. Only available on vinyl at the moment - hopefully a CD album will materialise soon - this is a single that you do not want to let slip away. Recommended!
Barry Towler
The Vibe Scribe
