James Mason - Rhythm Of Life
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| Artist ..... : James Mason |
| Album ...... : Rhythm Of Life |
| Year ....... : 1999 |
| Label ...... : Soul Brother |
| Cat.No ..... : CD SBCS 3 |
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+-------------------------------[Release Info]-------------------------------+
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| Genere ..... : Jazz+Funk |
| Tracks ..... : 10 |
| Duration ... : 37:23 min |
| Source ..... : CDDA |
| Street Date : 1999-11-29 |
| URL ........ : http://www.discogs.com/release/1151102 |
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| Release Size : 275.37 MB |
| Ripping Tool : EAC |
| Encoder .... : FLAC 1.2.1 |
| Quality .... : 973 kbps / Avg 44.1kHz / 2 channels |
| Rip Date ... : 2015-07-28 |
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+--------------------------------[Track List]--------------------------------+
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| 01. Sweet Power Your Embrace 05:27 |
| 02. Good Thing 03:13 |
| 03. Free 03:43 |
| 04. Mbewe 02:28 |
| 05. Funny Girl 04:20 |
| 06. Slick City 03:03 |
| 07. Rhythm Of Life 06:10 |
| 08. Hey Hey Hey 01:58 |
| 09. I've Got My Eyes On You 03:37 |
| 10. Dreams 03:24 |
| ----- |
| Total: 37:23 |
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+-------------------------------[Release Notes]------------------------------+
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| Jazz-funk fans, believe the hype: James Masons Rhythm of Life is every |
| bit the overlooked classic its small but fanatical cult following has |
| built it up to be. Smoothly soulful (but not slick) and spiritually |
| uplifting throughout the album's blend of funky fusion and progressive |
| R&B is hardly the stuff purist dreams are made of but anyone who loves |
| the deep grooves of Donald Byrd or Mason's former employer, Roy Ayers, |
| will immediately understand why this is considered a masterpiece in |
| acid jazz circles. Breezy ballads and ferocious uptempo groovers alike |
| benefit from Mason's sure sense of songcraft and his knack for full- |
| bodied arrangements. Mason plays all the guitars and loads of vintage |
| synths (two different ARPs & Fender Rhodes electric piano among them), |
| so he's largely responsible for the instrumental meat of every track. |
| And though he's a strong soloist when he chooses, his focus is more |
| on creating luxurious textures and working the grooves. And work them |
| he does - the faster tracks are amazingly driving for the jazz-funk |
| genre, taken at tempos that would be fast even for R&B or rock, with |
| lots of frantically slapped bass from Gene Torres. Clarice Taylor's |
| vocals are far more soulful than the charmingly amateurish jazz-funk |
| norm; whats more, the songs -all but one co-written by Ninoska Escobar |
| - aren't just perfunctory groove vehicles, but feel more substantially |
| structured than is typical for the genre. At least four - "Sweet Power |
| Your Embrace", "Free", "Funny Girl", and "Slick City" - have become |
| rare-groove club standards, and the title cut is an absolute monster. |
| Records like "Rhythm of Life" - catchy, funky, richly textured, and |
| utterly joyous - are a huge reason the acid jazz movement came into |
| being; since their virtues aren't as prized by hardcore jazzers, they |
| might otherwise be consigned to oblivion. Thankfully, this one was |
| rescued. |
| |
| * * * |
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| This album has been one of the most in demand black music albums over |
| the last fifteen years. James was one of the guitarists in Roy Ayres |
| Ubiquity in the late '70s, playing on the "Lifeline" album which |
| featured "Running Away" - one of the most classic Jazz-Funk tracks of |
| all time. The same urgency and progressive jazz funk is reflected in |
| this album which has rightly become an 'underground' classic. Tracks |
| like "Sweet Power Your Embrace", "Free", "Slick City" and the title |
| track are well known Jazz Funk club anthems, but this album includes |
| other great tracks like "Funny Girl", "Good Thing" and "I've Got My |
| Eyes on You" showing off Clarice Taylor's whisper vocals to their best |
| effect. This album is even more remarkable, considering that it was |
| recorded at the same time as"Saturday Night Fever" when most musicians |
| where trying to cash in on the disco bandwagon. "Rhythm of Life" ...A |
| timeless classic! |
| |
| Laurence Prangell |
| Soul Brother Records |
| 1999 |
| |
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