Repercussions - Charmed Life (1997)

Japanese Import

A weak follow up to 1995's Earth and Heaven, this album loses a big name producer (Gary Katz) and label (Reprise), but it's still got a few tracks of funky, danceable acid jazz and nu soul. With no label backing, there aren't many of the big name guest artists that played on the earlier disc, so this joint is missing the horns and solos of the previous album. It doesn't quite measure up to the earlier release; I'd classify it as a sophomore slump. This is the mixed bag you'd expect from an album with a hodge-podge of lead vocalists and producers. On the first album, the group sounded like its main influence was Incognito; this album sounds more like Soul II Soul for the first half while much of the last half has a drum & bass beat.

Peak on the US Billboard Top 200 chart: Did not chart (evidence suggests this album was released only in Japan).

Tracks:  My picks today are Remember, Moving On, and the lead track Love Again which, according to the obi strip (below), is a "super hit tune" and the "ZIP-FM 4th Anniversary Song." Tracks 5 & 8, Let The Games Begin and Love Me Now are a little too hip-hoppy for my tastes so I usually skip those along with From The Control Tower and the drum & bass stuff of the latter half, with the exception of Natural High (the penultimate track), which has a sweet slow groove workin'. The album closes with a below average acoustic number, wha?

Personal Memory Associated with this CD: None.

Previously revisited for the blog:
Earth And Heaven (1995)

Repercussions - Earth And Heaven (1995)

Japanese Import

Back in October, I posted about a CD by Raw Stylus titled Pushing Against The Flow. A faithful reader and friend o' the blog immediately responded with the recommendation of this CD so I picked up a copy of this CD and its 1997 follow-up on eBay. I was not disappointed. I've gotten to where I prefer this CD to the Raw Stylus. While the two albums are very similar (they share Gary Katz as a producer), this group's writing is much better. Instead of acid jazz, this is better described as jazz/R&B - more groove oriented than dance oriented and much more melodic. The band was a 6 piece collective from NYC closely associated with The Groove Academy. Standout performances by bassist Jonathan Maron. I was previously unfamiliar with the group, but they've got some guest artists whose names I recognize: Joe Sample, Don Grolnick, and a horn section led by the legendary Jerry Hey. That horn section gives certain songs a particular sound that reminds me of early '80s Al Jarreau (the horn section is almost identical to that on Jarreau and other West Coast classics). This album didn't sell well domestically, probably because the people at Reprise had no idea how to market this sound. Too bad, because it's good stuff.

Peak on the US Billboard Top 200 chart: Did not chart

Tracks:  The album is strong throughout so it's hard to pick favorites, but today I'm liking Find Your Way, Promise Me Nothing, and Keepin' It All Together. This import copy has a bonus track, Let's Do It Again, which is a pleasant surprise tacked on at the end.

Personal Memory Associated with this CD: None, but whenever I post about a CD imported from Japan, someone usually emails me and asks if I have the obi strip (or spine card). This time, the answer is yes: