The Need of Blove
Overall Album Score: 8.7 out of 10 God, this band is weird. Since I reviewed their eponymous debut album, I did sample a bit of their greatest hits album. Their hits like “Let’s Groove” and “September” are kind of odd in a way although clearly bred for the disco floor. Well The Need of Love is an album of five lengthy art-rock songs. This album is even “artsier” than their debut album, but less compelling in my opinion. You see, that album had a certain SPARK that this album seems to lack. That's no matter. Both albums are quite awesome! Nothing on this album ever seemed to dare topping such tracks as “Help Somebody” or “Bad Tune.” But they seem to be exploring the jazz-fusion side of their musical influences. Nearly every song is peppered with a jazzy solo or some jazzy horns. ... It's weird to also note, while listening to this, that they'll eventually evolve into a popular disco group! “Energy” is arguably the standout track on this album, but that might only be because it’s the first song, and it’s nine minutes long. The beginning is goofy and avant-garde. And it’s not really inspired. But there’s nothing about The Need of Love that is poorly done. There’s always something weird, a good instrumental solo or a nice tune to keep things 100 percent enjoyable. “Beauty” is the only song that seems kind of weak. But even then, the song is performed well, and it has a nice flow. Overall Album Score: 8.7 out of 10 (The follow up is even artsier than their last album! This is another album for the funk-lover’s collection.) Average Song Score: 8.7 (The songs are solid! There’s nothing not-enjoyable about any of these tracks.) Album Tilt: 8.5 (It’s a consistent album for the most part. This would make a good addition to your album collection if you think you’d enjoy art-funk.) Artist Rating: 9.0 (I would normally raise this score, but it’s nothing like their debut album. The artistic merit of this album is pretty high, but it’s a lot less compelling than their debut.) Track Reviews Energy 9/10 So, the first two minutes of this nine-minute track is a really strange spaced-out, avant-gardish bit. It’s goofy, so I wouldn’t take it too seriously if I were you. It’s reminiscent of something Frank Zappa would have done on Uncle Meat except less irritating … but also less inspired. I like it just because I think it’s weird, and I always must champion a band that takes a chance. (Oh, and this album didn’t sell well … this is why.) What follows is a funk riff. The atmosphere of the song seems strange in a way, but structurally I’d imagine that it is pretty normal for the genre. A strange discourse happens in the middle of this section, which reminds me that Earth Wind and Fire is a group of oddballs. The song gets distinctly dancier upon the five minute mark (with an interestingly strange groove), but it is characterized by the presence of a jazzy horn sections that keeps it from becoming too normal. This is a strange song overall that I think might have been a little better if it had more continuity or maybe have been just a tad more energetic. But it’s weird. I like weird. Beauty 8/10 I think the melody writing was a little lazy for this song. The feel and atmosphere of this song is very smooth. The artistic ambitiousness of this song is still pretty high (it features some pretty interesting choices for instrumentation at times), which makes it a good listen to anyone who values art in music. But this more-normal song seems like it was fashioned to be infectious … and it’s just not. I like the sound of it, but the melody is pretty barren here. I Can Feel it in My Bones 9/10 This is a song that I can only describe as jazz-fusion/funk/art-rock. The horns and the beat are specifically funk, but every once in awhile, there’s a jazzy line played by a horn or some vocals that sound like it might have been sung by Louis Armstrong. The strange and strikingly unconventional structure of this song has the music art at its forefront. The energy of this song is what sells it, though. The group is focused on this song’s drive, which helps immensely. I Think About Lovin’ You 8.5/10 Sade is what comes to mind when I hear this song. But I’m sure that’s not fair because Sade wasn’t an entity in the early ‘70s. This is a decidedly normal song, but the melody is really catchy. The instrumentation is solid and sounds pretty bold and creative. There’s absolutely nothing to dislike about this song. Everything is Everything 9/10 This song takes a little while to get started. (It begins with some organ piddling around … which is kind of entertaining, but nothing you’d probably remember.) And then it escalates into a pretty energetic, choral funk song. It’s easy to get caught up in its splendor! This song doesn’t appear to be as artsy as some of the other tracks in the album (…well, it’s a lot less concentrated in that effort at least … the organ doesn’t do enough of that). It’s a good song. It’s nothing like the song that closed their debut album, though! Before you catch on fire, be sure to send me your thoughts here. |
All reviews are copyrighted by the author, Michael Lawrence. I like to wear red shirts. So what of it?
