fDeluxe - Gaslight

  by Lisa Torem

published: 27 / 1 / 2012

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Review

fdeluxe is a quartet comprised of St. Paul Peterson, Susannah Melvoin, Jellybean Johnson and Eric Leeds. They were once known as The Family, an act that was cultivated by and recorded an album with Prince after the film 'Purple Rain'. Their album, 'The Family', in 1985 was noted for two hits: ‘Screams of Passion’ and ‘Nothing Compares 2 U’ – later made famous by Sinead O’Connor. Currently, the band previously known as “The Family” and now known as simply fDeluxe are showcasing their new album, 'Gaslight'. St. Paul and Susannah share the lead vocals and primary songwriting, though ‘The Vigil’ was written by Wendy Melvoin and Lisa Coleman, Wendy is Susannah’s sister. The album, as a whole, is highly inventive and tastefully combines contemporary, smooth jazz, vintage funk and timeless balladry. Eric Leeds layers saxophone, flute and all other horns with extraordinary expertise. The opening tune, ‘Drummers and Healers’, kicks off with the duo’s sly, snarling resonance. Of special note here, also, is the entertaining tug-of-war between the feisty horn and rebellious guitar. ‘Over the Canyon’, the next tune, is brimming with vocal nuance set against explosive horns. The theme song ‘Gaslight’ features Susannah’s Tina Turner-esque intonations and an even greater gathering of tsunami-like horns. The album deviates then for ‘Beautiful You'. A hypnotic, instrumental din builds dreamily in the background as the simply worded enigmatic vocal line comes to the fore. ‘8’ goes back to a multi-layered funk that recalls the fab Ronnie Spector, with its girl group asides. ‘The Vigil’ is the most unusual of the arrangements; generously borrowing from the big band era. ‘Leeds Line’ takes ample time to explore the band’s virtuosity, while ‘Lover’ derives its elegance from a satiny, smooth jazz veneer. That elegance reappears in ‘When You Go’, a stirring aria gently embellished by a touch of strings. Fast forward to more, vibrant funk and spirited horn on ‘Sanctified’, a moving arrangement co-produced by Oliver Leiber, and the finale; the concise, and unexpected, symphonic ‘Last House on The Block.’ In essence, 'Gaslight' is an exciting epic that boldly defies convention.

Track Listing:-

1 Drummers and Healers
2 Over the Canyon
3 Gaslight
4 Beautiful You
5 At 8
6 The Vigil
7 Leeds Line
8 Lover
9 When You Go
10 Sanctified
11 Last House On the Block

Band Links:-

http://www.fdeluxe.com/
https://www.facebook.com/fdeluxe
https://twitter.com/thefdeluxe
https://www.youtube.com/user/fDeluxeVi

Label Links:-

http://www.mig-music.de/en/mig-music/
https://www.facebook.com/migmusic.de
https://www.youtube.com/user/MiGmusicc
https://www.instagram.com/migmusicde/
https://twitter.com/MiGmusicDE