Words by Justin Turford
Saskatoon in Canada is not where I expected to find the shadows of the stripped down soul jazz sound of D’Angelo and the Soulquarians but here it is. On his excellent second album (after 2018’s Daughter Of The Sun) producer and bassist vbnd has teamed up with The Soulmate Collective - Katie Tupper (Vocals), Connor Newton (Saxophone), Jesse Mcmillan (Drums) & Ayden Draude (Keys) to create a calmly accomplished record that sits somewhere between SAULT’s output, the less fiddly side of Snarky Puppy and the aforementioned neo soul gold of D’Angelo. Allied with the luscious vocal tone of Katie Tupper (who has that rich and breathy delivery that makes Cleo Sol such a wonder) and simple but bang on arrangements from this crack band and we have an album that should be heard everywhere this summer.
This isn’t R’n’B with a local flavour (not that I would know what things taste like in Saskatoon!), I could imagine this record coming out of South London or the West Coast of the States such is its universal sound. Funk, hip hop, soul, smoky contemporary jazz, tick them all off right but damn it’s done well. The production is full fat and warm, the players are loose-limbed yet accurate, no spare parts here. The tunes with Katie are obvious highlights such is the joy of her voice but also the way the band sympathetically respond to her. They’re jamming and as the name suggests, they are a ‘collective’ in the best sense. All about the song, all about the feels.
Instrumentals litter the album with short funky jazzy snippets of perfect beats and snapshot perhaps how they jam this out live, sorbets between fuller vocal tracks. Occasionally, however, the instrumental is filled out and is the opportunity to showcase the deeper jazzy beats groove that this outfit can deliver, they can certainly play. vbnd’s bass chops are the hinge on which this album holds and his partners in groove swing tightly along.
‘Couldn’t Get Laid’ featuring Abhi The Nomad is the only track with a different vocalist and it hints at what could / should be a separate EP with his sing-rap a highlight of the album. Like an update on the Bay Area sound of the early 90s with a contemporary jazz looseness that is a winner for me. As mentioned before, where would this sound be without the sonic and soulful revolution of the Soulquarians back in the day but unlike so much I’ve heard in that vein, there is a real feeling here, not of wild experimentation but solid in groove and vibes.
Perhaps my favourite of the record is ‘Gold Chain’ and it is probably the one that reminds me most of SAULT (high praise in my book). Simple, gentle, funky and with a quietly huge chorus that will follow you round all day. Delicious.
Out now on DeepMatter!