The cool and bouncy retro-soul vibe of the veteran British acid jazz
ensemble Incognito isn't really retro at all -- it's just that they've
been doing it since the early '80s, when that sound was still a new
thing. Despite its vast array of personnel changes over the course of
eight previous albums, the band has stayed true to the original vision
of frontman/guitarist Jean-Paul "Bluey" Maunick,
and that means, even post-millennium, a liberal mix of jazz, house,
groovalicious funk, worldbeat, colorful female vocals, and most of the
times, snazzy horn sections. The band's Narada Jazz debut, Who Needs
Love also includes spicy touches of soaring Brazilian energy (think
whimsical, Sergio Mendes circa mid-'60s), with guest vocalist Ed Motta
singing both words and scat over punchy horns, and a thumping disco
beat. Gentle samba grooves infuse "Stone Cold Heart" and the feisty,
Braz-funk gem "Cada Dia (Day by Day)" as well. Most of the other
material is a bit less exotic, from the moody romantic R&B-flavored
lament "Can't Get You Out of My Head" to the thumping, wah-wah- and
horn-inflected anthem "People at the Top," which has "Welcome to the
'70s" written all over its infectious grooves. The trippiest track of
the bunch is "Byrd Plays," which blends an odd nature soundscaping
ambience, a distant horn, and subtle African percussion with hypnotic
low register piano chords. Maunick is always seeking new collaborators mixed with former cohorts, and here he has British troubadour Paul Weller and vocalists Kelli Sae, Joy Rose, and former group member Joy Malcolm.
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