Sharon Musgrave | Outflow
Album Review: Sharon Musgrave | Outflow
By Peggy Oliver
“Fascinating
Rhythm,” not to be mistaken with the George Gershwin jazz standard from
the twenties, was a funky diet of soul, jazz and reggae flavors
provided by dance producer extraordinaire William Orbit. The voice who
graced the U.K. top ten dance hit from 1990 was Sharon Musgrave. After
touring to support the Orbit’s Bass-O-Matic project, Set the Controls for the Heart of the Bass
and the hit single “Fascinating Rhythm,” the England born, Canadian
native found another outlet to demonstrate her earthy vocal tones to the
jazz world with Julian Joseph. Thanks to a performance of Curtis
Mayfield’s “The Other Side of Town” from Joseph’s Language of Love disc,
Musgrave’s collaboration with the pianist led to a tour where they
opened for Herbie Hancock and others. Then came her solo debut in 2001
on her Zosar Music imprint – Selah - revealing
a riveting mix of jazz sensibility interspersed with spoken word, pop,
R&B, blues and folk. No wonder because Musgrave’s inspirations
run extremely deep from Bob Marley to Billie Holliday to Joni Mitchell.
Though
she has remained musically active for the past several years in her
current hometown of Hamilton, Ontario, Canada, Musgrave finally presents
her sophomore Zosar Music release - Outflow – an
excellent flow of original tunes mostly co-penned with
producer/drummer/percussionist Peter Grimmer that should appeal to
commercial and underground audiences. Once again, Musgrave does not
disappoint with her musicality backed by her reliable vocal performance.
Not surprisingly considering her relationship to the dance community
with Orbit and U.K. producer Steve Miller AKA Afterlife (the 2009 single
“Fantasy”), there are several remixes of three tracks encompassing
different rhythmic styles.
Within Outflow’s
diverse selection, Musgrave really excels in the elements of jazz and
spoken word. The opening “Beautiful Music” generates an acid jazz feel
combining unadulterated soul and swinging mellow guitar and piano
grooves. “The Embrace” brings the romance in a classy bossa nova
setting, while “Same Old” fuses modern jazz with a hip-hop edge and a
colorful solo from trumpeter Troy Dowding. For that funky jazz fix,
“Everybody Wants It” features Musgrave honey-dripped scats and a brief
vocal/trumpet conversation with Dowding. As for the ultimate highlight,
check out Musgrave’s moving spoken word piece – “Inna B Flat” - about
navigating through everyday life: “She learns that what was once a
struggle becomes food for thought,” The soft jungle beats that accent
Musgrave’s rapid fire poetry are courtesy of Grimmer’s impeccable drum
and percussion timing.
Other songs of note include
the Eastern meets African slow jam – “Why” - with Derek Musgrave on
additional backing vocals and Toby Stewart on saxophone; and the
soul/folk one-two punch of the title track. Then there are the remixes
to consider; the best belonging to the Afternoons in Stereo acoustic
jazz/chill out vision and soca jam alternative of “Everybody Wants It”
and “Beautiful Music” (Thorority Dub) decorated with gorgeous
atmospheric keyboards and funky aftertaste. The latter two are remixed
by Thor, who also worked on Musgrave and Afterlife on “Fantasy.”
Outflow
is quite the diverse package, yet the track continuity and vocal and
instrumental standard is set quite high. Born with fascinating rhythm
and the talent to match, Musgrove possesses an incredible love affair
with soul, jazz and dance fans.
Peggy Oliver
The Urban Music Scene
Posted by Administration at 3/7/2011 2:55 PM 
Categories: Soul, Rhythm and Blues, Neo-Soul, Video
Tags: Rhythm And Blues Music Videos
Categories: Soul, Rhythm and Blues, Neo-Soul, Video
Tags: Rhythm And Blues Music Videos
Comments