Beave Music 2025
Harnessing New York groove anew, acid-jazz heroes demonstrate ageless impact of sublime harmonies.
Moonlight Mile
Last time we’ve seen this ensemble enter the studio, they emerged with “Blue 72” to celebrate the first two decades of the band’s existence by paying homage to music of the titular vintage – and then they almost disappeared from the scene, at least in terms of recording, for ten years and thus separated the original span of the collective’s run from a fresh lease of their communal life. Back with “Moonlight Mile” – which, as usual, sprinkles pieces penned by the combo’s members with borrowed material and shows such a respite was indeed required, – they make it obvious that soft tones will only seem richer when slight abrasiveness is applied to melodic surface. And while there’s no sign of the veterans gearing up to appropriate Sly Stone’s style any day soon, sharper edge to their tunes helps chisel the album’s allure.
The group’s approach can be fathomed by their reading of the platter’s title track, which sits in its very center and turning THE ROLLING STONES’ somewhat creepy ballad into an equally haunted nocturne, where Marlon Saunders’ silky vocals shimmer as delicate beats underpin the singer’s frequent ad-libs and the purr of Peter Levin’s organ – just like they do on EAGLES’ “I Can’t Tell You Why” in a reggae-tinged environment. However, the cover of Elvis Costello’s “Alison” which sets the proceedings in motion should highlight rougher, if still velvet-like, patches of the same voice to render the record seductive from the start, John Pondell’s guitar and David Inniss’ bass creating a cradle for frontline strut and other shenanigans. The latter are at the fore of “Love…Life…” which finds Lord KCB rapping quite fiercely amidst the shards of trad-minded brass and slivers of improvised piano, and similar playing with the listener’s perspective will also happen here and there further on. Not for nothing the panoramically effervescent “Overture” serves as the album’s dub-daubed funky finale rather than its opener, and not for nothing Southern aromas of Michelle Lewis’ take on Tony Joe White’s perennial “Rainy Night in Georgia” come balanced with the band’s own Northern-scented “Damn I Miss New York” where her and Rosa Russ’ scintillating lines weave magic into the number’s fiber to a great effect.
And though “Since I’ve Been Loving You” and “You Move Me” feel immensely touching with their equilibrium of punchy bottom-end and psyche-caressing – and, at times, nerve-pinching – sonics at the top, these cuts’ emotional spectrum wide enough to get wrapped around the world, and though “Do You Want My Love?” reaches for the heights of classic soul with a side note of trip hop, it’s the scat-concealing, flamenco-tinctured “Pause” that offers most impressive dynamic range to those eager embrace the rapturous atmosphere. The combo’s back for good – and having them back is good, indeed.
****2/3
