When
you put this CD on you're gonna feel it. There's a
presence at work that shows up in the chemistry of a very
tight band with spiritual undercurrents running deep. All
done in the context of straight down the center smooth jazz
- short, tight songs with infectious melodies, and hooks
to spare. And he's giving it all he's got on every
one of them. What Euge Groove is doing here is bringing
big vivid splashes of color to a genre that's mired in washed-out
pastels. That's what sets this project apart, and makes Born2Groove one
of the most captivating and significant genre CDs to come
along in a long time.
Always searching for new territory to explore, he has jumped
from the seventies vibe of his previous release, Just
Feels Right, to a sound that comes straight
out of church. With the help of his touring musical
director and bass player Cornelius Mims, a church musician
himself, Groove put together a group of musicians with credentials
that cover the sacred, the secular, and the contemporary
gospel music where they intersect. Keyboardist Tracy
Carter, the musical director for a church in California,
provides some of the brightest moments on this album with
soulful, subtle chordings that just flow. Guitarist
Jubu Smith, drummer Trevor Lawrence Jr., and percussionist
Lenny Castro round out the core group. He wrote and
arranged the majority of the tracks himself and is once again
working with Paul Brown, who co-produced, mixed, and played
guitar.
Seven of the ten tracks were recorded completely live and
the whole project was recorded in High Definition Audio. Hearing
it is like sitting front row center in a venue with a great
sound system. The sound is clear and you can tell these
musicians are playing together and interacting. These
guys bring it on every song with Euge upfront just playing
his heart out. Listen to “Slow Jam,” where
he improvises over the melodic framework of an elegant R&B
groove. He manages to put just the right nuance on
every note and do some flashy runs without getting bombastic
or overwhelming the song. “Religify” is
just flat out irresistible - one joyous, hooky burst of energy,
the kind of song that gets stuck in your head the first time
you hear it and stays there. “Geez Spot” is
gritty, low down, and bluesy. Ricky Peterson spices
it up with some tasty B3 and Paul Brown delivers
the dirtiest guitar solo he's ever thrown down (and I mean
that in a really good way.) “Born2Groove” and “Mr.
Groove” have that propulsive funky sound that has become
his trademark. He plays in the low range on “Mr.
Groove” and the ensemble jamming at the end of the
title track leave you wishing it was about five minutes longer. “A
Summer Night's Dream” is reminiscent of the midtempo
jams on his earlier CDs, it's got that trademark circular
riff and a melody that just won't stop, plus he manages to
play soprano with depth and without shriek or saccharine. “Movin'
On” conveys the wistfulness that comes when things
end without needing a lyric to drive the point home. There
are two vocals on Born2Groove. Ali “Ollie” Woodson's
interpretation of “I Love You More Than You'll Ever
Know” is stunning – powerful, soulful and just
plain off the hook. This is classic R&B
singing at its best, the kind that spans generations and
has staying power. It's just that good. “Baby,
If You Only Knew (What I Could Do)” was co-written
by Groove and Jeffrey Osborne, and features Osborne on vocals. It's
one of those songs that is perfectly tailored for the late
night Quite Storm shows and hopefully it will get some Urban
A/C radio love.
On the surface Born2Groove may
seem more the mellow side than last few projects. That's
deceptive. A lot of these songs build momentum as they
go along. Even the ballads get a lot of power from
the way he plays them. You can smolder with intensity,
ignite, and even burn down the house without taking out a
few hundred excess acres in the process. That's what
he's done here. It has fire, it has spirit, and the
spirit's gonna move ya!
-Shannon West
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