Album Review ~ Bear's Den ~ Islands

Hello!

Welcome to this weeks main review. This week I have a folk/alternative band to review that go by the name of Bear's Den who are from London, UK. The three piece released their debut album 'Islands' on 20th October and I'm here to tell you what the album is like. 

Their band name  "Bear's Den" has been a band I'd keep constantly hearing about. Whether it be BBC Radio 6, Radio 2 or just from other people recommending them. So I finally got round to jumping on Spotify and checking them out and was incredibly surprised at the quality of this three piece and nothing like what I was expecting. 

Bear's Den bring to the table an album of chilled out folk music accompanied with guitars and a banjo. Andrew Davie (vocals) brings out his calmly toned vocals to make the music sound delight to hear. This is not a band trying to make noise and get heard, they're making music by saying "You...come over here, sit with us and listen". I can't help when I listen to the record that I'm sitting round a camp fire and really taking in everything they're playing and saying about. Just me?

The album starts off with a cracking opener that is "Agape". Bringing together each main instrument, packing a punch from the drums followed by the distinctive vocals and some mellow backing vocals from Kev Jones and Joey Haynes. The backing vocals are very impressive and give the overall sound of the album promise for the other 9 songs much to look forward to. 

In the track "The Love We Stole", you can really get a feel for the Bear's Den sound. A sound that is very different to anything that is out there at the moment. When its hard for me to describe the genre and style of music, you know its good.

One of the more popular tracks on the album that is ""Above The Clouds Of Pompeii" starts off with a guitar rhythm that free-flowing and catchy. Everything just seems to fit for this song to be the best on the album. The bass drum at the end of the song can be quite heavy on the ears compared to the rest of the song, but this is only a minor set back.

The lyrics make the songs very home-grown, if I was to describe everything on the record in one word it would be home-grown. They all enjoy making the same music, nothing is over-done, nothing is pushed. Its all come from some inspirational songwriting and experience on the road. Quite a lot of the album involves adding things little by little. Possibly starting off with just a guitar and vocals, then adding bass, then a small drum beat. Its also adding in piano's and trumpets at the end to really give it a fulfilling end. 

"Think Of England" does the whole adding in instruments gradually very well. Its only until the end of the song you realise how much has been added since the beginning of the song when it ends with guitar and vocals. At the beginning of the song you know something is brewing with the beating bass drum accompanied with clapper and shaker. 


Songs like "Magdalene" on the record are as if they're just made for Bear's Den. A chilled out worry-free song was if it was meant to be written for them. Its so difficult to make something sound so relaxed and easy, this song does it very well. The vocals are the reason this song is so laid back, if it was a singer who signs very powerfully then it wouldn't work. 

In the song "When You Break", I think its a little unnecessary for them to say the line "I want to f*** away all my fear". I think the style that they're playing in has no need or use for swear words. Its meant to be free-flowing and heart warming, but throw in some swear words and it changes the mood of the album to angry and raging. 

Finishing off the album are some beautiful songs that include some of the most hauntingly graceful guitar tones as well as feeling like the album is coming to an end. The use of horns in "Elysium" bring everything together in the track to become one of the loudest, but is one of the best on the record. The last track "Bad Blood" also has this feeling of togetherness to bring an end to the album.

In conclusion, Bear's Den have really outdone themselves to produce an album of folk that I feel everyone should give a try. You'll more than likely find that you'll enjoy at least three of the songs on this album. There isn't a song on the album that is 'below par' from the others, each one has been carved into the 'Bear's Den' wooden hut to be shared with the world. I look forward to seeing what is in store for the band when they go on their first headline tour in 2015. 

Here are the dates: 

Fri 6 Feb	Birmingham	Temple	UK
Sun 8 Feb	Dublin	Workman’s Club	IE
Mon 09 Feb	Belfast	Voodoo	UK
Wed 11 Feb	Glasgow	Oran Mor	UK
Thu 12 Feb	Newcastle	Cluny	UK
Fri 13 Feb	Manchester	Gorilla	UK
Sun 15 Feb	Cardiff	Clwb Ifor Bach	UK
Mon 16 Feb	Oxford	Academy 2	UK
Wed 18 Feb	Brighton	Concorde 2	UK
Fri 20 Feb	Paris	Point Ephémère	FR
Sat 21 Feb	Brussels	Witloof Bar *NEW	BE
Mon 23 Feb	Amsterdam	Melkweg Old Hall	NL
Tue 24 Feb	Hamburg	Knust	DE
Wed 25 Feb	Cologne	Buergerhaus Stollwerck	DE
Fri 27 Feb	Munich	Strom	DE
Sat 28 Feb	Zurich	Mascotte	CH
Tue 3 Mar	London	O2 Shepherds Bush Empire	UK

Thanks for reading and until next time.

Lewis

Website: www.bearsdenmusic.co.uk/

Facebook: www.facebook.com/bearsdenmusic

Twitter: twitter.com/bearsdenmusic

Album Review ~ John Mayer ~ Where The Light Is: John Mayer Live In Los Angeles

Hello!

Welcome to this weeks main review. Today, I'm taking you all back to 2007 when John Mayer recorded a live album in Los Angeles. This album was made around the time of his best album "Continuum" with the likes of "Vultures", "Slow Dancing In A Burning Room" and "Gravity" coming from the album to name but a few. 

The reason I'm reviewing this album is because over the past few weeks I've been really getting into the album. Its a fantastic live album, one of the best personally and I wanted to share it on my blog, so, enjoy!

With a long list of quality songs on his back, this live gig was shaped up to be one of his best. He starts the set off with 4 acoustic songs including "Stop This Train" and "Free Fallin'". A mellow way to start off a gig, but with some of his biggest songs. These are definitely the most intimate songs on the album. There's no percussion or anything to support the rhythm, it genuinely is just Mayer and his guitar. 

A personal favourite on the acoustic section is "In Your Atmosphere". Its a free-flowing riff that Mayer plays expertly that sounds like a part written for two guitars. Mayer is known for his top songwriting and this song bares no exception to this, as well as his vocals. They're displayed in this song the best with some difficult high notes to reach, but sings with ease. 

So, with four songs down, time to crank it up and introduce Pino Palladino (bass) and Steve Jordan (drums) to make up the 'John Mayer Trio'. Introducing the trio is a song called "Everyday I Have The Blues" which is a cover of BB King's famous song that comes in with a bang. A blues shuffle with some electric guitar solo's cranks the gears up from the acoustic set earlier. 

Pino Palladino has worked with some of the best in the industry. He's worked with the likes of Simon & Garfunkel, Jools Holland, Eric Clapton, The Who and Adele. To be accompanied by the effortlessly talented Steve Jordan on drums that makes the line-up seem like some sort of royalty. Steve Jordan has worked with the likes of Bob Dylan, Eric Clapton, BB King, Stevie Nicks, Keith Richards and Buddy Guy. Need I say more about the line-up!?

When you get into the groove of "Wait Until Tomorrow" and "Who Did You Think I Was" you can get a real feel of what's in store for the rest of the record. Tight drums, groovy, fast paced guitar chords and solo's accompanied with slick bass. Both these songs are a great introduction to the trio and with the album not even halfway through, its certainly build up the excitement for what's in store. 

Steve Jordan, John Mayer and Peter Palladino

Getting to the song "Out Of Mind" is a real treat for the ears if you're into your guitar solo's. This is the song to really dig deep into Mayer's guitar skills, its clean guitar, but the sounds he can get out of it are astonishing. This song is practically one big solo with some vocals here and there with solid grooving drums and bass. This is the first song you can really hear how locked in and professional Jordan and Palladino are. 

The only song that can get slightly tedious on the record is the song "Bold As Love". Mayer does a corny speech in the middle about how "he made it happen for himself" and about love. To me it wasn't necessary, but ends of with a nice little drum solo and instrumental so I'll let that part slide. 

One of my favourites on this album is "Slow Dancing In A Burning Room", just purely because it's such a beautiful song. Performed really well live on this album too, the backing vocals are to the point which you can't really pick up that well on any other song apart from "Gravity" a bit later on.

Other songs on the album that are a stand-out are "Why Georgia", "I Don't Need No Doctor" (that is just the grooviest 'headbopping' song) and "Gravity". Though the album ends on more the mellow side, it ends on a great song called "I'm Gonna Find Another You". 

All in all I hope this review has made you think about giving this album a listen. If you enjoy listening to blues, groovy tunes and John Mayer then this is the album for you. Its out of CD, 4xLP Vinyl and Digital Download. It was also recorded for a DVD too, so you can see the concert for yourself and how it was performed!

Thank you very much for reading (if you made it all this far down especially) and until next time. 

Lewis

"Gravity"

Website: http://johnmayer.com/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/JohnMayer

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/johnmayer

Album Review ~ Prince Fatty Meets Nostalgia 77 ~ In The Kingdom Of Dub

Hello!

Welcome to this weeks main review which will feature a collaboration of two great musical minds that are Nostalgia 77 (Benedict Lamdin) and Prince Fatty (Mike Pelanconi). Nostalgia 77 is a jazz producer from the UK that is signed to the Tru-Thoughts independent label and has recently produced the latest album from Jamie Cullum. Prince Fatty is one of the hottest dub/reggae producers around at the moment in the UK scene. Merging together Nostalgia 77's jazz songs with Prince Fatty's dub remixes, it certainly sounds like an interesting blend of genre's. 

Prince Fatty has taken some classics from Nostalgia 77's catalogue of songs such as 'Quiet Dawn', 'Angel With No Halo' and his cover of 'Seven Nation Army'. He has reworked them and taken jazz into the world of dub and reggae. Fans of Nostalgia 77 can re-live some his his best work, but merged into the form of dub.

The music itself is very clear and distinct, something you'd expect from a dub/reggae album. Its great to hear such smooth guitar 'chanks' throughout a song along with crystal clear drums to sparkle the quality. The session musicians used for each track are top notch and on the money. That note for note quality is a rare sound to find these days. 

Prince Fatty has managed to blend his dub expertise and sounds impressively with Lamdin's jazz work, especially on the tracks such as "Skeletons Dub" and "Little Steps Dub". Working around all the little niche parts from a double bass to a piano solo from the Nostalgia 77 original tracks. Adding in enough elements of dub into the tracks for them to be new and reworked tracks, but not to over-power the originals to make sure people know what is his work and what is Nostalgia 77's work.

It's great to hear guests such as Alice Russell on "Seven Nation Army Dub" really shine through on this record. She has one of the best voices in the industry, but is also a hidden gem. Keeping the strongest elements in a track before you add a dub/reggae feel is something only an experienced producer like Prince Fatty can do, very well. 

The artwork (shown above) is one of my favourite pieces this year alongside with the artwork from Paolo Nutini's 'Caustic Love'. Sometimes I come across new music and want to listen to it purely for the design of the artwork, love the yellow/orange monster. 

I enjoy listening to the jazz influences from the songs such as "Positive Force Dub" being mixed with the dub production. The trumpets sound fantastic on this track and can really turn a notch up in the record. Hearing certain instruments put to the forefront for certain songs in each track just gives the album something to keep a drive going with throughout. For example the drums (especially) and the bass sound amazing in "Skeletons Dub" and really shine through on this particular track.

The album has been played a lot on BBC Radio 6 Music with the single "Medicine Chest Dub" in the 'C' List of the 6 music playlist (as of 29th October). DJs such as Lauren Laverne, Nemone and Tom Ravenscroft have all been playing the songs across the station. 

The tracks that are personal favourites of mine are "Quiet Dawn Dub", "Medicine Chest Dub", "Freedom" and "Skeletons Dub". By all means listen to the whole album, but these are the stand-outs to me. "In The Kingdom Of Dub" is out in all good record stores and the new single from Tru-Thoughts containing "Medicine Chest Dub" and "Skeletons Dub" is out in November!

Thanks for reading and until next time. 

Lewis

Seven Nation Army Dub Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/tru-thoughts/seven-nation-army-dub-feat-2

Nostalgia 77 Website: www.nostalgia77.com/

Nostalgia 77 Twitter: www.twitter.com/Nostalgia__77

Prince Fatty Facebook: www.facebook.com/princefatty

Prince Fatty Twitter: www.twitter.com/prince_fatty

Album Review ~ Philip Sayce ~ Influence

Hello!

Welcome to this weeks main review! Today I have a Welsh born musician from Canada 
who goes by the name of Philip Sayce. Sayce is a blues/rock guitarist who has been rising up in the blues scene ever since his debut album 'Innerevolution'. His songwriting style and performance have had music critics singing his praises ever since.

I wanted to start off with a quote that Sayce said in his album trailer. " Music isn't about winning a spot on The Voice or American Idol, it's a life long commitment. It's paying respects to where this music came from". 

'Influence' is packed full of blues/rock that will have you listening to the album from top to bottom. The record displays genuine triumphs of songwriting from the roots of blues and Sayce is displaying the reasons why all music originated from the blues. The album seems to be teeming with guitar riffs with a helping of grunge on the side too. 

The high quality of the songwriting in the record comes down to being well thought out, crafted and countless amounts of hours spent on each song. Sayce and his producer are lovers of vintage instruments and sounds. For this album they managed to sit down and craft out a sound with every vintage piece of equipment they either owned or could get their hands on to get the right sound for the record. 

The overall sound to the album has all the technologies of today, but with that essence of the vintage sound they have been working on. Philip's sound isn't as clear as it could be, but this is definitely a positive point. It gives his voice that edge when he wants to belt some notes out in songs such as "Green Power" and "Sailin' Shoes".

His guitar tone provides a punch throughout and has definitely pulled out everything for this record. With solid beats and fills from the drums, each instrument used in this record keeps everything tight and exciting. The drums shine through on the song 'Evil Woman', as does Philips guitar skills. Powerfully struck chords and double bass work make this song one of the clear stand outs.

Sayce's guitar techniques and tone are thoroughly enjoyed in the instrumental song "Triumph". The amount of raw emotion and effort that has gone into playing that song reminds me a lot of when Hendrix played. You can sense a lot of passion in that song that gives you excitment and love towards the album. Sayce owes this album to many of the artists he grew up with such as Jimi Hendrix, Stevie Ray Vaughan and Eric Clapton. All of which you need to check out urgently to understand the sound that Philip has created for the album that is very influenced by those artists.

The tracks I would recommend are "Out Of My Mind", "Sailin' Shoes" , "Evil Woman" and "Triumph". These are ones to check out to get a feel of what Sayce's sound and tone is within the album. 

Overall, a blues/rock album that is high up on my list of the best albums of this decade. It displays unique songwriting abilities, the mentality of getting the vintage sounds and dedicating it to some of the best known artists in the business that would all be proud to hear. I was pleasantly surprised when I first heard the album and I hope you will too! Philip Sayce is fast becoming my new favourite guitarist and one that is bringing blues/rock back to the fore-front of music once again.

'Influence' is out now from all good record stores and online for digital download. 

A quick thank you message to Noble PR for hooking me up with Philip's album for this review. Thank you very much for reading and until next time. 

Lewis

Website: http://philipsayce.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/PhilipSayceMusic

Twitter: https://twitter.com/philipsayce

Album Review ~ Royal Blood ~ Royal Blood

Hello, 

Welcome to blog post 37, today I have a Brighton based two piece band that are rocking the music business to high hell and back! If you haven't heard of Royal Blood yet then you've clearly been cooped up in your room all summer. Their debut album took the summer music scene by a storm and I'm here to tell you why. 

Royal Blood are a two piece rock band formed in 2013 that have a rounded rock sound that is unusually distinctive compared to most rock bands out there. I heard a lot about Royal Blood before they released this album, I'm pretty sure they were practising at Brighton Electric Studios when I was there a few moths beforehand. Their name was floating round Brighton like a black rain cloud that was sure enough to turn into a storm.

Mike Kerr (Vocals, Bass Guitar) and Ben Thatcher (Drums) have released an album that is now at the forefront of rock music. These guys are now the new generation of the rock genre and I wouldn't want it to be any other band. 

The powerful might from "Out Of The Black" to introduce the album really gives you a flavour of what you're in store for. "Come On Over" uses a simple structure but really keeps the tempo going for the album to give listeners like myself a lot of hope for rock in the next few years. "Figure It Out" is the most popular track from the album that has been played a lot on BBC Radio 1 and 6 music. With the catchy riff line to work through and the double time section at the end, its no wonder its the most popular track. 

Once you get to "Blood Hands" you are already halfway through the album surprisingly. The time for the half way mark is 15 minutes and 50 seconds which to most bands is not even onto track 4. The total time for the album is 32 minutes and 42 seconds, very short for an album, but this could be the reason for its success. Brilliant short songs, keeping the listener entertained throughout with no messing around. The longest song is 4:12 and is possibly the weakest song. This could be because its the longest and isn't keeping to the way Royal Blood have recorded the rest of the album.

With the band only being a two piece band, I was worried about there not being enough within the sound to keep the album's momentum up. With the use of space between the guitar and vocals, catchy riffs and heavy drums the band have done a fantastic job. I cannot express how difficult it is to create such an emphatic sound with a 3 piece let alone with bass and drums. 

Mike uses distortion and other pedals alike to create a guitar tone on the bass. This then creates a tone that sounds like its coming from two different guitars.  Ben's hard hitting drums and tight fills compliment the overall sound. 

The one thing I was worried about with this album was that the songs would sound the same. Luckily this doesn't happen and each song has its own characteristics which really made this album for me. Each song doesn't follow the same structure as the last, but every song is still heavy and high tempo. I believe this is one of the reasons that this album has done extremely well this year. There are no sad or slow songs, its all go go go from the word off and its exactly what the rock industry has been needing for some time now.  

In conclusion this album is one to remember for some time and hopefully will be around for many years to come rocking out the industry. Even though it has not been long since their newest release, I look forward to what they hold in store for us next in a few years to come! 

Thanks for reading and until next time!

Lewis

Website: royalbloodband.com/

Facebook: www.facebook.com/RoyalBloodUK

Twitter: twitter.com/royalblooduk

Google+: plus.google.com/+royalblooduk/posts

Album Review ~ We The Kings ~ Somewhere Somehow

Hello!

Welcome to blog post 36! Today I have an album that I have been listening to since its release last year and a band that I've been following for a good 2/3 years. 

We The Kings are a pop-punk band from Florida, USA and have always been a band I can fall back on for some great music. Their previous albums were a fantastic listen, as it was some ace American pop-punk tunes. Catchy, grungy, rocky with that dose of pop sprinkled on it to make me not listen to them.

We The Kings members are:

Travis Clark - Vocals/Guitar
Hunter Thomsen - Guitar/ Backing Vocals
Charles Trippy - Bass
Coley O'Toole - Keys/Backing Vocals/Guitar
Danny Duncan - Drums/ Percussion

I originally got into the band through Youtuber and bassist of the band Charles Trippy (CTFxC) when he had just joined the band (along with Coley O'Toole). I checked them out and I loved their sound they were producing and was surprised they weren't as well known as they were back in 2011. Releasing albums such as "Sunshine State of Mind" and "Smile Kid" they have just been escalating in their fame which is great to see because these guys deserve it! 

I went to see them live at the beginning of 2013 at Scala in London. Its safe to say, these guys rock on stage. The amount of energy they put into their shows is insane. They even made Hunter disappear with the insane amounts of smoke they were churning out in that small venue. A fantastic night and I was lucky enough to meet the band afterwards (expect Travis). 

So when the announcement of "Somewhere Somehow" was being announced I was really looking forward to some more music from the band. My first impressions on the album was certainly that it was...different. They have definitely matured with their sound, but I can't help but feel its lost its 'punk' side to the other albums and the sound that I was so familiar with. 


Giving the album some time, I have grown to love the album personally. Yes it does sound a lot different to the older albums, but they have always had that 'pop' persona about their sound. Songs like "Feel Alive" and "See You In My Dreams" have great chorus' that you can still head bang to, but not with so much grunge or punk. That doesn't mean they've lost their rock taste or that their live performances have numbed down...oh no!

At points I do personally feel like its moved too far away from the punk sides in songs such as 'Live Young Die Forever'. Purely for the fact that its electronic drums being used and as a drummer myself, I personally think acoustic has such a more powerful effect on songs. This is just personal preference though. 

I think some bands need that change to really make it in the business. This album has given the biggest step forward so far for the 5 piece and its easy to see why. The band have produced a fantastic record full of catchy rhythms, powerful chorus' and an all round lovable record to listen to. 

If I could describe the album in one it would be 'Fun'. The reason for this is just because each song doesn't make me really focus on anything too seriously. Each song has a 'fun' tone and has this vibe throughout to reflects on the bands live performance too. 

I have to give some major credit to the vocalist Travis for his wicked voice and great songwriting. If you look up the lyrics for each of the songs on any album, they have been really thought about and fit with each song We The Kings have released. That isn't easy to do either, but he makes it look easy!

The songs you should go check out are "Find You There", "Feel Alive", "Just Keep Breathing" and "Art Of War". All the others are great, but these are the ones to check out if you don't have time. 

Somewhere Somehow is out now in all good record stores and let me know what you thought of the songs/album if you've heard it! 

Thanks for reading and until next time

Lewis 

Website: wethekingsmusic.com

Facebook: www.facebook.com/wethekings

Twitter: www.twitter.com/wethekings

Album Review ~ Gregory Porter ~ Liquid Spirit

Hello!

Welcome to blog post 33, I hope everyone is doing well! Today I have a wonderful artist I discovered a few days ago called Gregory Porter who is a downright wicked jazz/soul singer! The album is full of gems and such a wonderful pick up for me to find!

Gregory Porter comes from California and was originally going to become a professional footballer, but due to injuries that put his career at an end (thank god too!). His debut album "Water" was nominated for 'Best Vocal Jazz Album' at the 53rd Grammy's! His following record titled "Be Good" was very popular in the Netherlands and got lot of recognition for his soulful jazz voice. 

His latest album Liquid Spirit has attracted a lot of attention from across the globe with a number 12 spot in the UK album charts, 8 in Germany and 7 in Denmark! Porter's breakthrough into the mainstream market is becoming apparent with much coverage on BBC Radio 2 and some on BBC Radio 6 as well. 

Liquid Spirit warms your heart, calms you down and lets you forget about your troubles. It sends you on a little journey with Gregory through the world of jazz, but on a completely different scale. In some respects the music has its own genre in the form of jazz, but I can't quite put my finger on it. I think its the soul element throughout the record that makes this album different to most jazz albums. 

Radio 2 have been pushing the song "The 'In' Crowd" which is a very fast paced jazz tune. It can really get your head nodding with the pace from the four piece. It was such a relief to hear this type of music on BBC Radio 2 during the day, they certainly brought out the stops for this song. 

The musicians in this album are amazing. I have to give a huge applause from myself of how professional and impressive the other musicians are to make this album what it is. Gregory's singing just sounds so effortless. Though his voice can't be faulted, its the perfect blend of melodic power and I'm glad he's gone down the route of jazz and soul.

A personal favourite of mine isn't exactly jazz when you first hear it, but I just instantly fell in love with the song and Gregory's voice from this song alone. The song is "Hey Laura" and it was really the reason I bought the album. I love jazz anyway, but even if I didn't, his voice convinced me to buy the whole album just from one song. Its so simple, but calming and just a perfect example of how beautiful music is. 

Songs like "Movin'", "Liquid Spirit" and "Wind Song" keep the momentum of the record going. Whilst you can easily relax and wind down to songs like "Brown Grass", "Wolfcry" and "I Fall In Love Too Easily". 

The duo of a pianist and Gregory Porter to me personally is just pure heaven. There's no other way to describe it, this album has made me realise why I fall in love with music. Beautiful pieces like this album need to be listened too and I hope everyone who reads this will agree with me. 

Let me know what you all thought of the album and if you would buy the album off the face off the one song I'll leave as the video for the review, "Hey Laura".

Until next time and thanks for reading

Lewis

Facebook - www.facebook.com/gregoryportermusic

Twitter - twitter.com/I_GregoryPorter

Youtube - www.youtube.com/user/GregoryPorterMusic

Album Review ~ Camera Soul "Not For Ordinary People"

Hello!

Welcome to blog post 32 and I would like to say thank you for all the support with getting near to 3000 views, its insane! Today I'll be celebrating with a fantastic jazz/funk band called Camera Soul and their latest album "Not For Ordinary People". Camera Soul are based from southern Italy (Bali), led by veteran composer brothers Piero and Pippo Lombardo and fronted with the vocals by the wonderful Serena Brancale. 

Piero (one of the composers) messaged me and asked if I could review their latest album and of course I said yes, but I what was in store was about to blow my mind. My ears were in for a rare treat of just pure soul, jazz-fusion and funk from this band that are starting to become more popular across the world. 

Camera Soul are inspired by legendary horn line, soul, R&B and jazz-fusion artists such as Earth, Wind and Fire, The Commodores, Tower of Power and Stevie Wonder. Put all of those together and you have this band. They certainly have a 'Jamiroquai' tone to them, but so much more purity to the sound. 

One song I would recommend to you to sum this band up would be the second track "Mama". It just keeps my head bopping throughout the whole track and enterains throughout with drops and bridges and always has treats in store. The album is very well produced, since this is a large band its difficult to not get anyone lost within the music. They have balanced everything perfectly to make it such a crisp sound which is an absolute delight to the ears. 

Piero and Pippo certainly know what sounds to create from each instrument at which point. You can sit back and really focus on the arrangement of the band and listen to each instrument.  A personal favourite of mine is the jazz guitar and bass lines, it just holds it together and brings a lot of funk to the band. Its left so subtly in the background to just groove around the riff. A good example would be the verses in the song "I Don't Like Roses". Another head bopper might I add!

During the album you can start to hear some Italian characteristics come into the music. Whether its a certain riff from an instrument or genuinely just the feel, it gives the band that difference about them which every band looks for. The band have a great mellow tone during the verses and can really kick up a gear in the chorus. Enough to keep the song exciting to the listener, but not enough to try be too brash which is a nice change. 

Their tight playing and soulful music is making a real dent in the music business and are certainly making a noise about it. In October 2013 this album was 2nd in the UK Soul Charts and spent a gigantic 15 weeks in those charts too which is a fantastic achievement by the band that is well worthy of its place.

The album has got the band a range of awards such as 'Best Instrumental Jazz Solo',' Best Engineered album', 'Producer of the Year',  'Song of the Year' & 'Best R&B Song'. Not a bad collection of awards, but boy do they deserve it. I would agree with all of these especially ' Best Engineered Album' for just the clear sound from every instrument on this album and how balanced everything is. 

The songs that I recommend are 'Not For Ordinary People, 'Mama', 'The Happiest Day' and 'I Don't Like Roses'. The rest of the album is brilliant, but these are the ones to check out for a little taste tester first. 

I hope you all enjoy the music and thank you for reading. 

Until next time

Lewis

Website: http://www.camerasoul.eu/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/Camera__Soul

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/camerasoul?fref=ts