Name: Next by Soulive
Brand: Soulive
SKU: 724353586959
Price: 9.9 USD
Availability: OnlineOnly
Rating: 3.5 (91 reviews)

COMPILATION

On a mission to update the jazz organ tradition, Soulive maintains a tight groove throughout Next. Their approach involves narrowing the creative options, then turning up the heat within the confined space they allow themselves. Where drummers in old-school jazz organ groups played freely around the backbeat, Soulive's Alan Evans never misses the two and four. His brother Neal Evans imposes similar restrictions on himself by staying with essentially the same timbre on organ -- a thin, steamy sound, with a crisp percussive bite -- while Eric Krasno cultivates a shallow blues/jazz tone on guitar. A bone-dry production highlights this constriction, where every note and snare hit crackles in high definition. The songwriting is limited as well to riff-driven tunes with minimal melodic content. That leaves performance as the wild card, and here Soulive doesn't fail. From the relaxed pace of "Nay Nay" to the sprint clip of the Headhunters-flavored "Whatever It Is," the band demonstrates an almost frightening command of nuance in its rhythmic interplay and antiseptic articulation. On instrumental tracks, as well as when backing raps on "Clap!" and "Bridge To Bama" or moaning bedroom vocals on " Don't Know," Soulive makes a strong case on Next for consideration as the hottest rhythm unit of the moment. ~ Robert L. Doerschuk

1. Tuesday Night's Squad

by Soulive

Primary Artist: Soulive; Main Performer
Performer: Sam Kininger; Performer
Composer: Neal Evans
Kurt Rosenwinkel; Composer
Mastering Engineer: Leon Zervos; Production
Mixing: Mark Mitchell; Production
Producer: Soulive; Production
Recording: Mark Mitchell; Production
Studio Personnel: Mark Mitchell
Leon Zervos; Production
Horn Arranger: Sam Kininger; Other

2. Flurries

by Soulive

Primary Artist: Soulive; Main Performer
Composer: Eric Krasno
Clarence Scarborough; Composer
Mastering Engineer: Leon Zervos; Production
Mixing: Mark Mitchell; Production
Producer: Soulive; Production
Recording: Mark Mitchell; Production
Studio Personnel: Leon Zervos
Mark Mitchell; Production

3. Liquid

by Soulive

Primary Artist: Soulive; Main Performer
Composer: Nigel Evans; Composer
Mastering Engineer: Leon Zervos; Production
Mixing: Mark Mitchell; Production
Producer: Soulive; Production
Recording: Mark Mitchell; Production
Studio Personnel: Leon Zervos
Mark Mitchell; Production

4. Joyful Girl

by Soulive

Featured Artist: Dave Matthews; Main Performer
Primary Artist: Soulive; Main Performer
Composer: Ani Difranco; Composer
Lyricist: Ani Difranco; Composer
Producer: Soulive
Glen Ballard; Production
Composer Lyricist: Ani Difranco; Other

5. Kalen

by Soulive

Primary Artist: Soulive; Main Performer
Composer: Alan Evans; Composer
Mastering Engineer: Leon Zervos; Production
Mixing: Mark Mitchell; Production
Producer: Soulive; Production
Recording: Mark Mitchell; Production
Studio Personnel: Leon Zervos
Mark Mitchell; Production

6. Clap!

by Soulive, Black Thought

Alto Saxophone: Sam Kinninger; Performer
Composer: Neal Evans
Black Thought; Composer
Drums: Alan Evans; Performer
Guitar: Eric Krasno; Performer
Keyboard: Neal Evans; Performer
Performer: Eric Krasno
Neal Evans
Sam Kinninger
Tariq Trotter
Alan Evans; Performer
Mastering Engineer: Leon Zervos; Production
Mixing: Mark Mitchell; Production
Producer: Soulive; Production
Horn Arranger: Sam Kinninger; Other
Primary Artist: Black Thought
Soulive; Main Performer
Vocals: Tariq Trotter; Performer
Recording: Mark Mitchell; Production
Studio Personnel: Leon Zervos
Mark Mitchell; Production