Down To The Bone (Discography)

The Best of Down to the Bone



This is a good CD for those who miss the early success of Down to the Bone or who did not overdue it with every release, just because it was Down to the Bone. Each project after "From Manhattan to Staten" became less and less a gemstone. However, a few good nuggets like the mellow 'Black Choice' found on this compilation should be enough to satisfy the Down to the Bone curious and any skeptics. The top funk choices of course are "Brooklyn Heights, 'Staten Island Groove', 'Electric Glide', 'Zodiac', and 'I'll always hold you close' which is reminiscent of some old school funk (Happiness is just around the bend) from Brian Augur.

1 Staten Island Groove
2 Cellar Funk
3 The Zodiac
4 Black Choice
5 Gotta Get Back To You
6 Brooklyn Heights
7 Electra Glide
8 I’ll Always Hold You Close
9 Carlito’s Way
10 Pure Funk
11 Long Way From Brooklyn


Down To The Bone - Cellar Funk



Sebetulnya, secara pribadi, gw kategorikan album ini sebagai fusion. krna komposisi2 yg dimainkan dalam album ini ada Jazz, Samba, Bossa Nova dan ada beat2 rocknya dalam bbrp track, katakanlah 'Cellar Funk' yg mewakili album ini. Namun demikian, warna acid/funk masih kental dlm track2 yg lainnya.

Tracklisting
01 Back in Business
02 Cellar Funk
03 I'll Always Hold You Close
04 Timeless
05 The Flow
06 Crossing Boundaries
07 You're the Only Reason
08 Dancing to a Samba
09 Global Village
10 L.A. Shakedown
11 Little Smile
12 Down in the Basement
13 Back in Business
(the Business Mix)

Down to the Bone - Crazy Vibes & Things



"Crazy Vibes and Things" doesn't neatly fit into any musical category. It's marketed as jazz, and has its soul there, but there's precious little improvisation to be found through its ten tracks. It's danceable, with addictive grooves (check out "Electro Glide") but it's not dance music per se. It's soulful (and the spectacular cover art evokes an old Marvin Gaye album cover), but it's not soul music. In fact, the one track with sung vocals (by Hill St. Soul), "My One and All," is really post-modern in its approach. There is no classification for this album except well-written and well-performed. "Crazy Vibes and Things" is perfect for a chilled-out dinner party or a groovy night at home.

All is not wonderful here, though little is wrong. The songs tend to blend together, and go on about two minutes too long apiece, weakening what should be a tighter package from such talented musicians. But if you like Paul Hardcastle, Four80East, or other Down to the Bone albums, you'll love this one.

01 Electra Glide
02 On A Roll
03 I Softly Surrender (To You)
04 Music Is My Drug
05 Crazy Vibes And Things
06 My One And All
07 Glow
08 Stargazer
09 Searching For A Simple Groove
10 Cooking with Gas

Down To The Bone - Spread Love Like Wildfire



Chilled down and grooved up, the masters of the U.K.'s jazz scene, Down To The Bone, issue another powerhouse with "SPREAD LOVE LIKE WILDFIRE." Killer horns, funked rhythms, and Neil Cowley's signature down-tempo keys give the set a cool, retro vibe that begs to be danced to. Play it loud.

"The sound on this album," reflects founder and architect Stuart Wade, "is much funkier and more energetic. The jazz/funk and fusion of the '60s and '70s had a great deal of influence on me. Put this all together with today's retro/club/dance influences and you have the sound I am trying to create. I feel this is exactly what the band's sound is." To do so, Wade brought on an incredible horn section - Richard Wargent (sax), Mike Kearsey (trombone), and Jon Scott (trumpet) - that gives the tunes a powerful punch of funk. Also joining the collective is flutist Jeremy Steig on Wildfire Woman and Memphis Groove. The latter tune marks Wade's nod to Herbie Mann's R&B-infused jazz flute on MEMPHIS TWO-STEP and MEMPHIS UNDERGROUND. Wildfire Woman calls to mind freewheeling '60s and '70s San Francisco. "It has that West Coast groovy funk and folk feel that came out of that city's musical melting pot, where rock met up with all sorts of sounds and styles," Wade explains. "You can hear my love of some of the 'Blaxploitation' soundtracks of those decades and, of course, the Brazilian and samba feel that I love so much."

1 Memphis Groove
2 Mystic Samba
3 Tiburon
4 Angel Baby
5 Pure Funk
6 Hammerhead
7 Wildfire Woman
8 Gotta Get Back To You
9 Lightning Rod
10 London Life
11 Latin Sagebrush

Down to the Bone - From Manhattan to Staten



Bridging the channel between smooth jazz and hip-bop/acid jazz are Down to the Bone, a band that mixes live horns with grooves and beats and comes up with something classy smooth. Down to the Bone are more about the dance floor than the listening room, but they do spice the mix with some up-front horn charts and often use interesting instrumentation (is that an oboe?) to keep things moving.

01 Staten Island Groove
02 Brooklyn Heights
03 Savour the Flavour
04 Museli Brown
05 Yo Mama's So Phat
06 Touch of Voodoo
07 17 Mile Drive
08 Carlito's Way
09 3 Days in Manhatten
10 On the Corner of Darcy Street

Down to the Bone - Spread the Word



I have practically worn out my copies of "From Manhattan to Staten" and "The Urban Grooves," so as soon I heard that "Spread the Word" was being released I knew I had to have it right away. DTTB has released another masterpiece of jazz funk that will knock you right out of your shoes. The fellas have taken a slightly different turn in this effort, with all the tracks having a '70s feel to them (similar to those great musical scores from Blaxploitation movies like "Shaft," "Super Fly," "The Mack," and "Trouble Man"), but from the first note of the CD you will hypnotized and transported to a zone where you find yourself tapping your feet, swaying your body from side to side, and bobbing your head to the beat.

As usual for DTTB, this is a strong CD from beginning to end with not a filler to be found. After listening to "Spread the Word" for the 6th time (in 2 days) I'm having a hard time deciding what my favorite tracks are, but I especially like the grooves of "Keep on Keepin' on," "Sound as a Pound," "Righteous Reeds," "Downtown Shuffle," "The Lowdown (acid jazz legend Gota plays drums on this track)," and "Mighty, Mighty Fine."

I urge you to run--don't walk--and snap up this CD. It's excellent background music for a party, your stairmaster routine, driving around town, when you're toiling away at the office, anytime your spirit and mood needs lifting. "Spread the Word" provides a 61 minute cure for what ails you.

01 Keep On Keepin' On
02 Sound As A Pound
03 Righteous Reeds
04 Bridge Port Boogie
05 Soul Bother No.1
06 Downtown Shuffle
07 Black Choice
08 The Backburner
09 The Lowdown
10 Mighty Mighty Fine

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