Soul Express Album Review XANTONE BLACQ To The Heavens And Beyond (UK Platinum Fingers, 2006) 1) With You 2) Yes I Do 3) Search For The Sun 4) I Feel For You 5) Samba De Lagos 6) Makes Me Wanna 7) Drive My Car 8) You’re So Fly 9) Smokin’ 10) Frankincense And Myrrh 11) Without You This album is best described as delicious. In fact I would say it’s a modern day masterpiece. I was aware of this man’s name but was unaware of his music until I heard this set. To say I am impressed is an understatement. It is a fair cornucopia of sounds that range from classic Lonnie Liston Smith, Herbie Hancock, Roy Ayers, The Blackbyrds to Stevie Wonder and Don E. Mixing this with world sounds is taking the music to another level. From what I see Xantoné is a well-travelled gentleman. He has remixed and recorded for international labels including Warner Music/Dro (Spain), Compost Records (Germany), Trama Records (Brazil) and Loop (New Zealand). He is also a highly sought after feature artist performing on the latest albums of Bruno E, Big Bang, Delgui, and the Soul Vigilantes. Last year he toured Brazil and Spain, and plans to perform in Japan to coincide with the release of his new album. Xantoné's first single releases were "Search For The Sun" and "The Dance". Both receiving critical acclaim and club/radio airplay from international luminaries including Masters At Work, Gilles Peterson, Kyoto Jazz Massive and Jazzanova. Xantoné describes his sound as ' free-range sunshine music' and I for one will not disagree with that! The UK scene should be clamouring for this set and rightly so. It really is hot and will fuel the passions in the soul and on the dancefloors. Soul and real music is at the very heart of this album and of that there is no doubt. Xantoné does not merely replicate the warm funky soul of the 70s he moulds it into his own beast. Please listen to "With You" and soak up the warm Rhodes and I defy you not to fall in love with this album. The lovely female vocals on this set come from Brazilian vocalist Patricia Marx, Classical Indian vocalists Preeti and Unnati Dasgupta and Italian songstress Manuela Panizzo. All are wonderful on this set. The warmness of the first song transforms into a hipshaker of an Eastern rhytm at the tail end of the track and indicates how clever and intricately Xantoné can turn a tune around on a sixpence. This is followed by a groove that would not be out of place on a Stevie Wonder / Don E album. The funky moog filled rumbler fings the horns and piano all jostling for our attention in the best way possible. I can really hear Don E doing this. It is certainly better than anything on that last dreadful set for Dome Records. "Search For The Sun" was a single release and is included here. This really does evoke jazzy memories of Hot summers like 1976. This mix of soul, funk and jazz really is a treat and I was very much sold on track one let alone these following tracks. The Roy Ayers aspect here is delicious, as is the Herbie Hancock vocoder. It's not often that we hear grooves like this, and more’s the pity. An interesting inclusion is his cover of Chaka Khan’s "I Feel For You". He really turns it into something else, though the chorus is still very true to the original. I can’t say I like this better, but it’s a good interpretation of the song very much in the fashion that Joslyn made with "Hangin’ On A String". Better still is the sulltry "Samba De Lagos" which is something I would expect to hear on a classy US fusion album. This vibe is livened up with the percussive "Makes Me Wanna" which features a very sexy and sympathetic vocal. If this doesn’t get the old feet tapping then nothing will! Perhaps the oddest cover on here – and the most eyebrow raising is his cover of The Beatles’ "Drive My Car". Pee Wee Ellis appears on this track which he does his stuff, and adds flavour to the slightly manic Zapp type flavour. I expected to hate this song, but far from it. I think fans of the Fab Four will probably want to lynch him for it, but that’s their problem not his! LOL. I think that most will much prefer the superb "You’re So Fly" which reminds me of Amp Fiddler at his very best – but much better! Think "Eye To Eye" and you’re not far from what we have here. "Smokin’" is a semi-instrumental that offers us a racing beat and freaky keyboards that hark right back to the 70s. This really is a wonderful track – the keyboard bridge is very much Dexter Wansel in style and is hyped up with some Caribbean style drums. It may sound messy but it really isn’t. The Cosmic Echoes sound envokes a very warm world on "Frankincense And Myrrh". This groove fits the album very well and allows the vocalists to echo pleasantly in the background atop the gentle percussion and reedy flute. Beautiful sounds here. The album is a wonderful aural journey into a soundscape of Latin, world flavours, soulful as you could ever want and a s funky as you like. Track 11 is a stunning real jazz number and would not be out of place on anything that t he Schema label could bring out. I don’t mince my words here – this is a CLASSIC album and should be in your collection as soon as possible. You can find this album on iTunes for download or alternatively visit www.myspace.com/xanblacq and while you’re on it check out my ugly mug on www.myspace.com/sophistisoul – if you dare!!!!! LOL. - Barry Towler Other CD Reviews Albums of the Month in 2006 Albums of the Month in 2005 Albums of the Month in 2004 Albums of the Month in 2003 Albums of the Month in 2002 Albums of the Month in 2001 Albums of the Month in 2000 Albums of the Month in 1999 Albums of the Month in 1998 Albums of the Month in 1997 Other CD
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