Roman Andrén
Juanita

Hopestreet Recordings: ...The Cactus Channel’s third album Stay A While takes the orchestrated soul futurism that has become their signature sound and adds silvery vocal dimensions, as the band’s own Lewis Coleman steps up to the mic. The band has recently shared the video for their first single “Storefront” and announced a huge national tour (dates below).Three is the magic number for The Cactus Channel. The ever-evolving Melbourne collective’s new album represents a new consciousness and a decisive turning point. Unloosed from their earlier incarnation as an instrumental soul and funk band into something wilder, a little darker and heavier, the new album sees The Cactus Channel diving in deep to dreamlike soundtracks, electrifying wig-outs and woozy meditations.

In the words of the New York Times, “Kassa Overall’s new album — the irreverently titled 'Go Get Ice Cream and Listen to Jazz' — attests to the diverse musical identity of this drummer, producer and rapper. It’s one of the few genuine-sounding, full-scope amalgams of contemporary hip-hop and jazz to surface in recent years.""Go Get Ice Cream And Listen To Jazz is a window into the life of Overall – a Seattle born, Brooklyn based artist wrestling with the abhorrent American prison system, over prescription of pharmaceuticals, ebbs and flows of romantic relationships, and perils of trust all minced through a kaleidoscopic lens of a brilliant 21st Century composer. The storied intermingling of jazz and hip-hop are decades in the making, and Overall’s cross-genre mix is evidence of a musical revolution existing in the mind of a master musician. A drummer at heart, Overall’s depiction of new music is conceptualized through his versatility as a producer with an unruly passion for electronic-production and the use of laptops and samplers.

Seance Centre: ...Muldrew, recorded on the northern Ontario lake by that name, is the culmination of several years of this collaborative tradition. Resisting their penchant for composition and arrangement, the duo embarked on this project with only an open framework that encouraged restraint. The result is a sparse and improvisational album, hung on enough structure for each song to evoke a distinct, albeit ambiguous mood. Space is paramount and even the most digital elements breathe with the resonance of the room and mingle with creaking floors. The resulting album is steeped in the placid stillness and northern ambience of a lake at dawn, and the emotive expanse of a forest at dusk. Imagine an ECM cottage-series, or Jon Hassell, Hiroshi Yoshimura, and John Martyn scoring a Bela Tarr film set in rural Canada. This is the future-proof music of metropolitan polyglot minds invigorated by nature’s mute refusal to follow a click-track.

“Chase the sun with me,” beckons singer Rebecca Jade during the chorus of “Come With Me,” the funky uptempo opening track of Running Out of Time. It’s a fitting start to the second full-length by Rebecca Jade and the Cold Fact, which sees the San Diego supergroup build on the distinct brand of West Coast soul it developed in its 2016 debut. Anchored by vintage tones and tightly knit grooves, the album fills a modern rock meets R&B space previously staked out by Alabama Shakes and Sharon Jones & the Dap-Kings.Jade herself shows up with Mavis Staples-like dynamism when called for, injecting power into soul shaking numbers including “Come With Me” and the revved up “I Only Smoke When I Drink” (and its follow up lyric “I only drink when I think of you”). The San Diego native has been touring nationally with Sheila E., and echoes of the 90s R&B she grew up listening to are woven through Running Out of Time, found in the summery pop of “Worth My Wait,” and torchy, Caribbean inflected “New York.” Elsewhere she balances her potent gospel-like choruses with breezy Minnie Riperton sweetness, as in the Hammond organ-drenched “Miss You” and timeless vintage of album closer “Change.”The soft brass swells of “Change” and other mid-tempo tunes lend textural contrast to the percussive funk blasts livening up other parts of the record. Horn arrangements were contributed by Andy Geib, the San Diego music vet who’s brought brass sections to a litany of projects, including Toots and the Maytals, Karl Denson's Tiny Universe, and B-Side Players. Most of the band behind the Cold Fact is comprised of frequent Redwoods Music collaborators, including drummer Jake Najor, bass player Jason Littlefield, and evocative lyricist Alfred Howard. Along with their accomplished crew of musicians, Howard and co-producer Matthew Molarius display a studied fondness for the output of their spiritual predecessors with Staxx records and the Wrecking Crew, while adding a tinge of Hollywood Hills psychedelia to the mix.Rebecca Jade credits a convergence of influences for bringing so much creative energy to the new album. “The guys in the Cold Fact bring an extensive catalog of music with them.” she says. “My musical upbringing had a lot of soul and R&B, more radio friendly stuff. We get together and listen to these deep cuts they love, that spark ideas for all these different directions we might go. I’m really grateful to work with them, because they open my world up big time.”

Formed in Oakland in the early 1970s, the Sons and Daughters of Lite recorded Let The Sun Shine In, their only LP, which has now achieved holy grail status among collectors.Let The Sun Shine In is a spiritual recording filled with soul, funk, jazz, and African percussion. The musical collective described themselves as a mix of African rhythms, Latin flavors, and Far Eastern textures.This album was virtually unknown to DJs and collectors until Michael McFadin's discovery in the late 80s. He then scoured the bay area and bought up multiple copies for his record store The Groove Merchant on Haight Street in San Francisco, many of which were bought from flea markets and the dollar bins of other shops.The outrageously funky title track became a jazz dance classic, courtesy of heavy radio and club play by top UK DJ and tastemaker Gilles Peterson.