iii- as .15,-
RETRO FUNK SOUL
NICOLE WILLIS & THE SOUL INVESTIGATORS Liquid Room, Edinburgh, Sat 28 Apr; Renfrew Ferry, Glasgow,
Sun 29 Apr
With the release of Keep Reachin' Up last year. Nicole Willis found herself the subject of funk-soul lovers’ adoration and press applause. But as much as she is pleased with the album's outcome. the 20 year careerist who has recorded with Curtis Mayfield and opened for the likes of Oil Scott Heron as well as Jamiroquai and Brand New Heavies has taken this new found attention in her stride.
‘I didn't expect that people would be so excited about it.‘ says Willis. exhibiting distinct signs of interview fatigue. 'I definitely think it's a step in a better direction. but I have some pretty high expectations of myself. Maybe l wish that I could do better always.‘ The Brooklyn-born singer- songwriter's last album, 2004‘s nu- soul Be It, was mixed and produced by her husband. the revered Finnish saxophonist Jimi Tenor, who has again cast his magic wand over some of this collaboration with Helsinki's The SOul Investigators. This melting pot has led to an altogether more retro sounding release that captures all the control and exuberance of the 60s soul-funk originals.
‘I felt it was exciting to do something that wasn't so contemporarin influenced. taking some references from childhood experiences.’ continues the one-time member of Deee-Lite. 'So that was fun and it felt completer fresh to do it at that time. If you can always continue to keep it light and enjoyable that's the most important thing. so that when you do have shows to do you‘re really having a good time.‘ Willis has unfOrtunately grown tired of straightening her hair, so we won't be treated to the magnificent bob she‘s rocking on the album cover, but the music and performance promise a perhaps more enduring delight. (Mark Edmundson)
58 rue LIST 2s Apr—10 May 2007
ROCK YOURCODENAMEIS:MILO King Tut’s Glasgow, Mon 30 Apr
To paraphrase Blur: modern rock is rubbish. Particularly here in the UK where the current rock ‘saviours’ consist of nice guy fops and knuckle-dragging oiks getting by on gee-shucks modesty or self-aggrandising pomp, respectively. So far, so Britpop circa 1995.
Which makes Newcastle rockers yourcodenameiszmilo all the more important. A group who make a discernible racket - despite the quiet, heads down attitude.
Debut album Ignoto drew comparisons to Radiohead and At The Drive-In but new album, They Came From The Sun is set to cement their status as rock’s new hope. Produced by ycnizm guitarist, Justin Lockey - no mean feat considering the group have worked with such names as Steve Albini and Flood - it sees the band
JAZZ LOZ SPEYER’S TIME ZONE The Tolbooth, Stirling, Sat 5 May
London-based trumpeter Loz Speyer has been spending a lot of time in Cuba since he last toured Scotland. and that will be reflected in the music he Will perform with Time Zone. This shon Scottish tour (they also play Montrose and some Highland venues) will be the first live
outings for the new six-piece line-up.
Time Zone grew out of Loz's quartet of guitarist .Jez Franks. bassist
Jonny Gee and drummer Simon Pearson. Saxophonist Martin
Hathaway making the quintet. Now Satin Singh has joined on congas.
which takes us back to that Cuban connection.
‘My wife is Cuban.‘ Speyer explained. ‘so we've been spending quite a lot of time there. and a lot of my recent music is influenced by my experiences. When Martin came into the band it IUSI seemed to bring out more of the Quality of the compositions. Adding percussion
came out of making a recording with Cuban musicians.
‘I felt that experience really brought out the true qualities of those pieces. and I've been doing a lot of playing around with Cuban rhythms. including learning congas. Ideally I'd double myself and be the percussion player as well. but I obviously can‘t do that. and Simon
has been playing them a good bit longer than me anyway!“
Loz has taken a less than regulation approach to the Latin-jazz fusion of his music. and aims to offer a more multi-Iayered perspective on Cuban life and music. An unfulfilled ambition is to bring Time Zone
and the Cuban musicians together.
‘I'd love to at some pOint. but that is quite a long shot. and would be an expensive exerCise. You never know. th0ugh — it might happen
someday.’ (Kenny Mathieson)
move into an area previously unexplored: melody. Where early material utilised tension, now tracks incorporate Sigur Ros or even Four Tet like hooks, amidst the usual ‘milo noise’.
All of which may stem from their recent Print is Dead album, a collaborative release featuring a range of UK artists - Field Music, Bloc Party, Lethal Bizzle and Tom Vek - and all grafted under a strict one day write, rehearse, record policy. It may not have had quite the punch of its predecessor but it nevertheless opened the group’s eyes to new possibilities and doubtless influenced the writing of the new album.
Apart from anything else, how many other bands can you imagine sharing the spotlight so willingly? Certainly none of those doing the rounds just now or their predecessors for that matter. Come to think of it, modern rock might just be getting better.
(Andrew Borthwick)