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Leggo de Lion (Kindred Spirits CD)
--- REVIEWS: The spoken word revelation of the year. Spiritual and surreal.
Funky grooves and righteous poetry -- a contemporary album, but one that takes us back to the hip 70s work of artists like Gil Scott-Heron or Wanda Robinson! Words are by Anthony Joseph, who's got a spoken, slightly-sung style that's really compelling -- backed with rhythms that are more in a jazz funk mode overall -- played by the Spasm Band on flute, tenor, guitar, bass, and lots of rootsy percussion -- the last of which serves to give the tracks an earthy, organic quality that surprisingly timeless, given the recent date of the set!
Rousing, provocative and times a little scary in his observations and assassinations of regular folk, Joseph’s spoken word monologues are delivered in bold, proud and often animated tones. Up close, they are actually harsh, acute tomes from leftfield (see the diseases befalling the central characters of ‘Wallerfield’). Delivered with a misleadingly blasé attitude, Joseph communicates with a flow that without being a breathless stream of conscience, manages to twist ordinary words into something more sinister and almost supernatural. Joseph’s bluesy yet shady band plays along in the background with suitable rustic minimalism.
Joseph is a fiery and capable performer and commands the unconditional attention of the listener like his influences Gil Scott Heron and Fela Kuti. This is an imaginative trip into the mind of a mystic.
Lyrically this is an intense album which requires your full attention. Daydream for a second and you'll be lost, then you're back to the rewind button, to start again. Driving in whilst listening to this became rather fun and games because I must have listened to this four times over. The jazz soundtrack by The Spasm Band is just perfect, with a real feel of the 70s and Strata-East or Impulse classics, to ensure this is essential for your collection."
- Simon Harrison, Basic Soul
Spoken word backed by a wild Afro-Carribean rhythm-jazz to produce a sound reminiscent of Gil Scott-Heron while having the slightly unhinged quality of Saul Williams or the Art Ensemble of Chicago. OK, it sounds like it was recorded thirty years ago and the lyrics sometimes seem no more than a kind of tripped-out, unravelling stream-of-consciousness, but that's exactly why we like it.
The music has a tribal Afro-jazz push to it that dictates the speed of fluency of Jospeh’s delivery with hypnotic dedication. Dans cet album d'Anthony Joseph,puissant autant qu'émouvant, on sera attentif aux beaux textes (intégralement repris sur un feuillet) allusifs, métaphoriques, surréalisants, parfois ouverts à des mondes anciens, mais chaque fois relus et emmêlés au présent, à la voix vibrante et chaleureuse, et au phrasé modulant et subtil qui les porte. - La Médiathèque BUY THIS BOOK: |