The CD opens with “I Wanna
Talk With You,” a delicious, kind of funky dance tune featuring horns and
positive vibes. It was written by the band’s vocalist, Allison McKenzie. She
sings, “All I really want is to be with
you.” Well, all right then! I dig that section with percussion and that
horn, reminding me of Honk! Festival back in Boston. This music has that feel, you
know, like a celebration of humanity. We could use some sort of celebration
these days, right? Things then turn mellower with a cover of Stevie Wonder’s
“Knocks Me Off My Feet,” a soulful pop tune from his Songs In The Key Of Life album. Caleb Rumley did the arrangement
for this rendition, which focuses on Allison’s vocal performance and includes
some great touches on horns. That’s followed by a cover of The Jackson Five’s
“I Want You Back.” It’s a good version, with some nice play between Allison’s
voice and the horns. My favorite part of this track, however, is that
instrumental section in the second half which features some great stuff from
the horn section, particularly on saxophone, as well as some excellent work on
drums.
“Just Too Much” is a delicious
jam to get you on your feet, composed by trombone player Caleb Rumley, who also
conducted the band on this release. This is groovy, funky, and a serious amount
of fun. Tremendous playing by all musicians, and oh man, that bass is making my
world better. Then we get this cool section toward the end that has a looser
vibe. This track has some great drumming, even a brief solo at the end, helping to
make it one of my personal favorites on this album. I could listen to this all
day. Then “It’s Love” begins tentatively, like the song is sneaking in. The
first line is, “They say I’m crazy,”
and, yeah, that explains the sneaky vibe. This crazy woman is not supposed to
be here. But then she tells us, “It’s
love.” Maybe, maybe. But maybe a restraining order is necessary. “They say I’m losing it/Just can’t seem to
keep my grip.” This track is a cover, written and originally performed by
Jill Scott. “I’ll Be Burning For You” follows. The horns are in control at the
start of this one, then ease back for the entrance of Allison’s smooth vocals. I
dig that section with just vocals and drums; that sort of thing has appealed to
me since I was a kid, when pop songs by law had to include such a section.
This track was written by Allison McKenzie, and arranged by Charlie Dougherty.
“All The Love” is a mellower,
romantic number, also composed by Allison McKenzie. It features some nice work
on flute, and builds in energy toward the end. Things then get kind of funky
with “A Penny For Your Thoughts,” composed by Phil Engsberg. This track has a
loose, kind of playful style, like it’s ready to try different avenues, and it
features more great drumming, which I love. And then at a certain point in the
second half it starts to rock, to really come together and move forward with a
wonderful force. It does then relax again a bit as the track goes in another direction.
The album closes with “Miss America,” a song about the opposing ways we feel
currently about the country, and an undeniable need for change. I like the
comparison of a certain segment of the population with vultures. Allison
McKenzie wrote this song. “And I don’t
know what to say/I don’t even know how to change it,” she sings at one
point, voicing the frustration so many of us feel these days. But the song is
positive, optimistic: “America, you’re
beautiful/You’ve got work to do.”
CD Track List
- I Wanna Talk With You
- Knocks Me Off My Feet
- I Want You Back
- Just Too Much
- It’s Love
- I’ll Be Burning For You
- All The Love
- A Penny For Your Thoughts
- Miss America
Sounds Good, Feels Good was released on September 27, 2019.
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