On the occasion of the new Brand New Heavies album Get Used To It, I’ll be presenting a look at the acid jazz genre.
The core of the British band is Jan Kincaid (drums/keyboards), Simon Bartholomew (guitar) and Andrew Love Levy (bass/keyboards). Beginning in the mid-Eighties, they played a brand of instrumental funk in the style of the Meters. They eventually added a horn section and a vocalist, Jay Ella Ruth. When she left, they added Atlanta native N’Dea Davenport; it is this version of the band that is best-known. (Pictured above is [L-R] Andrew, N’Dea, Jan, and Simon.)
Davenport is back for this new album. I’m happy to say that they not only sound as good as they ever did, I think they sound stronger than they did before.
On the lead track “We’ve Got,” they bring the heavy, heavy monster funk, with The Stella Horns sounding like primo JB; check out the trombone solo that starts at 2:40. Then, the song “Music” slows it down and goes for a more soulful vibe (with a touch of Indian instrumentation).
Notice that I haven’t really said anything specific about acid jazz yet. That will come tomorrow.
The Brand New Heavies – We’ve Got — BUY
The Brand New Heavies – Music — BUY
Tags: The Brand New Heavies, N’Dea Davenport, acid jazz, MP3s
2 Responses
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jb Says:
big heavies fan. was glad to hear n’dea was back with him, ‘cause her voice really is the best compliment to their music but I was disappointed by the album. it’s not bad, but there is nothing as good as “ride in the sky,” “never stop,” “stay this way,” “brother sister”… etc.
i really liked n’dea’s solo stuff and i wish they could have incorporated more of her solo sound into this album.
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The Pop View Says:
I forgot that you can stream the album at this Listening Party.