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artist : Terry Callier
title : timePeace
year : 1998
label : Verve
cat : 537 317 2
url : n/a
date : Nov-24-2002
genre : Jazz+Funk
quality : 192kbps / 44,1kHz / Full Stereo
source : CDDA
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01 Ride Suite Ride (Intro)
02 Lazarus Man
03 Keep Your Head Right
04 Aka New York Al
05 Traitor to the Race
06 C'est La Vie
07 Java Sparrow
08 Coyote Moon
09 People Get Ready/Brotherly Love
10 Love Theme Form Spartacus
11 No More Blues
12 Time Peace/No One Has to Tell You/Build A World of Love
12 tracks | 65:32 min | 90,1 MB
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I'm reviewing this CD form an advanced copy that has "released
early 1998" on it. As Terry works full time it was recorded on
weekends in the US and London There is no cover or inner sleeve so
I don't know the line up, which I think varies depending on the
tune and where it was recorded. It was supplied by Meira, Terry's
Tour Manager in the UK. The overall mood of the CD is classy
,soulful and mellow. Terry moves effortlessly from folk/jazz to
soul/jazz with even touches of country thrown in. This is a CD that
will be in many peoples best top ten at the end of the year and
will still sound good in 20 or 30 years time when some of the so
called soul CD's will be well past their sell by date. I would rate
it as high as Curtis Mayfileds "New World Order" and is certainly
one of the best new releases of the Nineties. The overall feel is
soulful/folksyjazz not unlike his cadet sides and the Prestige LP.
Totally unique and original. Read on for more in depth review.
(1) Ride Suite
It's so good to hear Terry's voice again. I can honestly say that
nobody's voice sound quite like his and is instantly recognisable.
This tune sets the overall pace for the CD and is a ballad that
oozes class and is a nice introduction of what is to come.Using an
organ backing this track floats along nicely. It's great to hear a
guy doing what he wants do rather than trying to jump on the latest
bandwagon. The people at Verve/Talking Loud are to be commended in
letting Terry do what he wants, It's refreshing in these times of
formulae releases.
(2) Lazarus man
Probably my favorite track on the CD. Imagine James Brown's "King
Heroin" or Curtis Mayfiled's "Here But I'm Gone", and you will
begin to get the flavor of this tune. Terry's voice gets more
urgent and soulful as the tunes goes on and it just builds and
builds, a gem.The lyrics are not overtly drug related and this may
or may not be a drug song, more a song of being in a strange land
and feeling lost The references to Curtis and James are more for
the overall mood of the tune, real moody , this tune is really
unlike anything that you will ever hear and is driven along by
guitars and synth? a real eerie tune that will have you returning
to track two again and again. Set at a just below midtempo groove
this for me is one of the CD's highlights. Mesmerising.
(3) Keep Your Heart Right
This tune is set at a just below midtempo pace and is set in a
light bossa groove. It's catchy and the sort of thing you find
yourself singing along to, Jon Lucien usually has a couple of
tracks in this vein on his CD's, classy soul/jazz. Lyrically it's
about going with what's in your heart and you won't go wrong.
(4) AKA New York Al
This tune sits in a ballad groove and is a tribute to Terry's
friend Walter Sanders AKA New York Al. Terry's soulful vocal talks
about "walking on the water and slipping on the stones" Terry's
love for his sadly missed friend shows through .
(5) Traitor to the Race
This is Terry's nod in the a more commercial direction. and is the
only track on the CD that leans in any way to the dancefloor and is
the sort of thing George Benson would probably come up with if he
decided to have a go at a rap. Not in your face "know what I'm
sayin" stuff you understand this is classy catchy soul/jazz rap.
Lyrically it's about the endless killing of black youths and the
devastation on the families and that if a "brother wastes a brother
he is a traitor to the race". Hopefully this track will pick up
plays in the better clubs and help sell the CD, Set at a midtempo
pace and sparse light jazzy accompaniment to Terry's smooth vocal
it also includes female backing singing "Traitor, Traitor"
accompaniment not unlike the Jones Girls it grooves along nicely.
(6) Cest La Vie
This was one of the three tracks recorded in London, the others
being "No More Blues" and People Get Ready/Brotherly Love". Terry's
back in the light bossa groove again. Imagine Anita Bakers "Good
Enough" and you will get the picture. Not likely to pack the
dancefloor just a nice radio/front room groover. Its a tale of
relationship break ups and wanting to hold onto what you've got..
(7) JavaSparrow
This track seer our man stripped down to the bare essentials just a
guitar backing. It's a nice ballad that is has folk leanings with a
relaxed vocal from our man and shows off Terry's talent for
songwriting in whatever style he chooses to work with.
(8) Coyote Moon
This tune shifts gear a little and sees our man in a more country
bag. I found myself thinking that the tune would do well for an
artist like Neil Young or even Glen Campbell. Nor a straight
country but a gentle country. It would fit perfectly with a movie
soundtrack to a road movie with shots of wide open countryside and
long bus journeys. Set at a ballad pace it washes over you. Terry's
vocal is gentle and drifting suited perfectly to the track.
(9)Brotherly Love/People Get Ready
Terry starts this one by singing the first few bars of the classic
Curtis tune "People Get Ready", and I suppose this tune is an
update on the theme. He sings "And the doubters and deceivers try
to turn our heads around, but they only reach the surface cause our
dreams are underground,without someone to share and someone to acre
surely we can find brotherly love" halfway through the tune kicks
into a swinging , but not quite "Ordinary Joe" groove.The female
backing comes in just as things pick up and complements Terry's
scat vocal nicely. A highlight of the CD and a future classic soul
tune that will be up there with "People Get Ready" and "Choice Of
Colours". All in all probably the "soul" highlight of the CD it was
recorded in London too. Probably the best British recording since
Bloodstone's Natural High LP.
(10) Love Them From Spartacus
This time our man is back to the stripped down guitar only in a
ballad groove. Totally beautiful and dead slow this is a treat from
start to finish. I don't know any other artist who would even
attempt a tune like this. A "First Time Ever I Saw Your Face" or
"Cotton Eyed Joe" for the 90s. Wonderful stuff.
(11) No More Blues
Terry slips his jazz hat on again and rekindles the joys of tunes
like Miles Davis/Oscar Brown Jr"All Blues" or "Sam Wamon's
"Circus"set at a finger snappping rather than dancing pace this
tune swings along with the help of some female backing and includes
sax, piano and drums.
(12) Timepeace/No Noe Has To Tell You/Build A World Of Love
Abely assisted by sax man Pharoah Sanders this lovely meandering
"The Creator Has A Masterplan" style ballad is one of the gems of
the CD. The tune itself would not sound out of place on a Pharoah
album. Pharoah's sax weaves in and out and Terry's vocal gets
urgent and pleading. Terry's vocal takes on a light J amacian
dialect that may be the result of one of the songs contained in the
medley "No One Has To Tell You"?, this is class from start to
finish. Amongst other themes it covers anti-war and Terry sings in
his most aching soulful al "African Violet" vocal "we glorify the
men of war and slay the men of peace" classic stuff. Any London
jazz jock worth his salt will be spinning this on his radio show.
Timeless essential stuff.
There you have it twelve real songs with real instruments. No
duffers, no drum machine crash bang wallop "skippers". Not strictly
soul music all the way through but music with bags of soul that
effortlessly drifts in and out of jazz/folk/ soul and even country.
This CD should please Terry's legion of fans and hopefully garner
some new ones. If this CD was a rare mid seventies LP "find", and
it could be by the sound of it, it's that good, people would be
clambering over each other to pay big money for it. Instead it is a
new release by a guy who deserves the sales as well as the critical
acclaim, critical acclaim never paid the bills, so do your self a
favor and order your copy now. You will not regret it.
George Reid
October 1997
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CERTiFiED QUALiTY iNC 2002
shouts: kw - sb - ftd - soup - cms - igr - nuhs - dps - ube