Customer Reviews

En Route

5 star:		(15)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Four80east is the Toronto based duo consisting or Rob DeBoer (piano, guitar, bass, programming) and Tony Grace (drums, programming), who, along with Grace's brother Paul, run Boomtang Records.
The other half of the band is Bryden Baird on trumpet, and Jon Stewart on tenor saxophone.
They are no stranger to the international circuit having attracted a fair bit of attention back in the 90s with several well-received projects, working as producers or remixers of other pop stars like Corey Hart, Amanda Marshall, Wild Strawberries...
They are the prototype crossover musicians whether as performers, remixers or as electronica/new jazz/acid jazz pros.
In their fourt album (the first for Native Language label) they have collected a slew of well-arranged grooves that will get wax heads their required fix for the evening.
"En Route" shrugs the shoulder off of that past and lets true danceheads like us settle in for a good night's rhythm or three.
Blessed with gifted production and nifty nods to funk, future jazz, and soul, Four80East is pretty much the dance equivalent of Jamiroquai.
My picks are the funky "Five By Five", the hypnotic, jazzy "Noodle Soup", which has been nominated for Best Original Song at the Canadian Smooth Jazz Awards, " Closer" with the soulful vocals of Canadian hip-hop Star Divine Brows and "Double Down" with an edgy, darker fusion groove.

Prepare to have great fun !

Well worth the wait...this is an exploration in great jazz! Can't get it out of the CD player! A must have

Let me say I have all of 480E's albums -- "The Album", "Nocturnal" and "Round 3" -- all three of these CDs circulate regularly through my various players.

When I heard #4 - "En Route" - was coming out April 24, I had to have it. After several searches locally I turned to Amazon and within days it arrived in my mailbox.

Since then the CD has not left my Scion's CD player...

Let's admit it -- some albums have two, maybe three good pieces and the rest is filler. Not this album. Every tune is unique and the extra time the guys at 480E put into this album paid off. The entire album is cool-funky-smooth with a hint of trance and soothing deep bass. "Noodle Soup" is getting all of the air-time on smooth jazz stations, but there's so much more to this album.

"Double Down", "Been Too Long", "Closer", "Don't Look Back", "Waterline" and, my personal favorite, the title tune, "En Route". (Love that guitar riff that sneaks in and out, then, toward the end of the track, the riff is held, distorted and repeated until the tune ends...oooohh...love that.)

Love "En Route" -- a definite must-have if you're a fan-of-the-groove.

I have to confess, I never paid that much attention to this canadian duo in the past. I had a few songs downloaded in my pc but other than that, Four80East was pretty much an experimental fusion of styles mixed with electronica and djs. I have no idea how this cd ended up in my posession about a month or so(I own a webradio station and I get new stuff all the time from different sources). For starters the packaging looked pretty well put and it's been a while since I'd had the chance to listen something new from these guys. Well... they really did a heck of a job. Rob DeBoer and Tony Grace put together one of the finest pieces of music you can get these days. De Boer excells with a remarkable jazzy guitar and a wicked keyboard work in "Noodle Soup" a song destined to hit high on the smooth jazz charts. Grace's impressive beats give the perfect background on most of the tracks specially in the highly energetic "Don't look back" and the title track. "51 Division" is a true electronica gem and the down-tempo "Closer" is beautifully arranged with an outstanding solo sax from Jon Stewart and delightful background vocals by canadian diva Divine Brown. Overall there is no waste or fillers in this cd, it's worth your money. Of course from now on it's going to be hard for me to forget what these two gifted musicians can do. Like I said in the beginning, Four80East is "en route" there's no detour...just good stuff straight ahead.

After previewing all the tracks while using my Rhapsody subscription, I could not believe that I hadn't heard of this electro-contemporary jazz group before. I love smooth jazz, but man this put a whole new twist on the genre! If you love synthesizers and high quality musicianship, this is THE CD for you. To put it all simply, I was and continue to be amazed by this group and in particular this CD! I would buy an additional copy for anyone who loves smooth jazz easily.

These guys don't let you down. All of their CDs get beat to hell and back in my car because I never take them out. This album as well as all of the others are great!!!

This is my first Four80East CD, but it definitely won't be my last... If you've read some of my other reviews, I've gotten somewhat bore of Smooth Jazz, well, it's probably more Smooth Jazz radio than anything else. So I wasn't expecting too much when I purchase this CD. Needless to say, I was pleasantly surprise listening to En Route. This album is definitely a toe-tappin', head-noddin', and in some cases, a rump-shakin' joint. To paraphrase the original Funkmaster himself, George Clinton, "if you like a little Doobie in your Funk" give this CD a try... So far my favorite track, 51 Division, is sizzlin'....

I always try to temper my desire to comment on music until I've let it marinate for a while, lest I let my enthusiasm for having a new disc in the drive override rational thought. In this case, I'm just going to let it rip!

Good stuff, start to finish. Favorites so far would be Noodle Soup and Been Too Long - both fun grooves. En Route is a musical image of it's title, reflective of a long and easy cruise behind the wheel. 51 Division is a powerfully fun romp. Smooth tunes on this collection also, like Closer and Easy Come, Easy Go. Waterline is a magnificent and dreamy tune, kind of like looking into the ripples on a pond.

Four 80 East continues to get better and better. Their creative use of sounds continues to be a trademark of their work. If you're familiar with their work, listening to this collection is both reassuring and surprising. You can tell it's them, but each tune is new and fresh.

Just got it in time for the 4th of July, but I can already tell that the wife and I will be spinning this one a lot. Perfect for an easy afternoon cookout or taking in a sunset.

Nearly 5 years since the last round 3 i could'nt wait to hear this.
'51 division ,Dont look back ,Double down & Waterline' " MY GOD " two years overdue and worth the wait.The four tracks mentioned are just perfect for summer.

I purchased this cd several days ago, and have been listening to this entire cd every since. Two of my favorite songs are noodle soup and waterline. Purchase this cd and you will not be disappointed. Unlike other cd's which only one or two songs are good, this entire cd is excellent!