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REAL Give Me a Reason… Smooch CD REAL 1R

 
1. In the Sky
2. Give Me a Reason
3. Never Never
4. Beautiful Sunshine
5. Star
6. Stay
7. Lovechild
8. Cellophane
9. I Forgot to Ask
10. Message
11. Wot U Got
12. All I Say
13. Give Me a Reason (radio edit)
14. Give Me a Reason (Red Chillie club remix)
Louise Pollock – Vocals
Winston Rollins – Trombone, Fender Rhodes, keyboards, loops programming
Adam Goldsmith – Guitar
Erroll Rollins - Drums
Chris Storr – Trumpet (tracks 1, 3, 5, 7, 8, 11)
Paul Newton – Trumpet (track 2)
Lisa Grahame – Alto and tenor saxes (tracks 1-5, 7, 8, 10, 11)
Sola Ackingbola – Percussion (tracks 1-4, 10, 12)
Nick Cohen – Bass (tracks 2, 10-12)
Martin Shaw – Flugelhorn (track 6)
Paul Newton – Trumpet (track 10)

This group is the brainchild of trombonist Winston Rollins and singer Louise Pollock, who collaborated to write all the songs. Winston is a respected jazz musician who has played for Jools Holland and Courtney Pine as well as leading his own big band, so you might expect this to be a jazz album. However, it is nearer funk or soul than jazz, with thudding rhythms and repetitive phrases.

The references to "programming" and ‘remixes" indicate that we are in the realm of jazz-funk: music as much for dancing as for listening. There is not much to listen to in the lyrics, which include lines like "Ain’t it funky now ain’t it funky now" and "You’re my sunshine it ain’t a maybe baby". The arrangements are smooth and professional, and Louise Pollock is a fair enough vocalist, but Real’s debut album sounds much like hundreds of others.

Tony Augarde

 

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