Higher Plane [Enhanced, Import]

Rad, Rad. | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (September 21, 1997)
• Original Release Date: September 21, 1997
• Number of Discs: 1
• Format: Enhanced, Import
• Label: 7 Bridges
• ASIN: B00002ZZ6W
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #597,389 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Track Listings

1. Never Stop

2. Be With You

3. Layin' Low

4. Natural

5. Emily's Garden

6. Guarabe Love

7. E.L.B.O.Y.

8. Days Gone By

9. Higher Plane

10. Veils

Editorial Reviews

About the Artist

A pianist since the age of 5, Rose Ann Dimalanta, alias rad. went on to study music at Berkeley with Susan Muscarella while at the same time learning and playing alongside Bay Area legends like Pete Escovedo, Benny Velarde, David Garibaldi (ex-Tower of Power), Ray Obiedo and such prominent players as multi-percussionist Michael Spiro, Rebeca Mauleon (author of the Salsa bible "Salsa Guidebook for Piano and Ensemble"), among many others.

Heavily influenced from those laid back R&B and latin jazz sounds of the Oakland/San Francisco Bay Area, the keyboardist, vocalist and songwriter, began her solo project and career from the harbors of Hamburg, Germany, performing in the clubs of the reeperbahn red light district (as did a well known English band, originally from Liverpool, starts with a B.....).

In 1992 her first solo album. "radified" took European dancefloor charts by storm. The track "Wishy" became an underground club hit in cities from London to Munich to Montpellier. Its successor "Gotta Be," with the jazzy track "Venus Drops" helped make rad. a repeatedly sold-out act at Paris' Hot Brass Club as well as London's Jazz Cafe.

An exciting live performer and a perrenial concert tip in venues all over Europe, rad. has consistently been on the road since the release of "radified".

Product Description

On her third album, Higher Plane, rad. delivered ten songs with charm and attitude. She continued to pursue her very own style of meshing funky grooves with solid songwriting and unconventional arrangements. It also marked her return to California, drawing upon her r&b roots and love for West Coast Latin Jazz. Intentionally reducing the instrumentation to a minimum, rad. creates an intimate and wonderfully inviting atmosphere. Recorded at the legendary Fantasy Studios in Berkeley, CA, "Higher Plane" is one of rad.'s most personal recordings. From the opening track "Never Stop", a light and breezy foray to "Layin' Low", a romping vocalese track with a twist of Oakland Stroke, to "Guarabe Love", classic rad. with a dash of Soul Sauce, to the haunting title track "Higher Plane", rad.'s music embodies the best of many musical worlds. Nod your head to grooveneck tunes like the reflective "Emily's Garden" and "Be With You". A feeling of bright lights, big city comes to mind in the closing track "Veils", an alto sax laden shuffle with quotes of James Brown thrown in for good measure. Higher Plane showcases the development of rad.'s unique vocalist-pianist style, as well as the talents of a team of highly respected musicians and friends. Fans of early Tower of Power recordings will be delighted to hear drummer David Garibaldi's funky flavor again. Guitarist Ray Obiedo's impeccable taste and time enhance rad.'s keyboard playing ("E.L.B.O.Y.", "Guarabe Love"), a talent that his previous keyboard partners including Herbie Hancock and George Duke have taken advantage of in the past. Check out the beautiful and melodic bass playing of Marc van Wageningen on "Never Stop" and the ever attitudinous smack of bass Bobby Vega (formerly with Sly Stone) on the title track. "Veils", the album's most elusive track, is given a good dose of West Coast with some lascivious blowing by saxophonist and former Yellowjacket Mark Russo. Finally, rad. subtly lets us in on her own skills, with the dirty left hand Hammond organ bass on "Guarabe Love", the funky vocalese style featured "Layin' Low" and a gorgeously haunting moog solo on "Higher Plane" and the unique voice that embody the compositions. A thoughtful mixture of soul, latin and funk, rad. manages to mesh gut-wrenching groove and intellect with her own musical signature (no need for samples here). "Higher Plane" will ease you from a loud Saturday night into a sunny Sunday morning.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Beautiful album, June 9, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Higher Plane (Audio CD)

Greatly crafted songs, top notch players. Since I bought it I haven't taken it out of the CD player. My favorite is "Guarabe Love", which has a nice latin feel. Makes you wonder why we don't hear RAD all over the radio. Get it.

4.0 out of 5 stars Good RAD album, March 30, 2010

By 

The Bobster (Seattle, WA USA) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Higher Plane (Audio CD)

I have a couple of other RAD albums, and I would rate this one as good as the others. I like David Garabaldi on drums, Ray Obedio on guitar and Rose on the keys. Nice mix of the keys she plays with old school sounding Fender rhodes piano and Hammond B3 as well. The few tunes sans Garabaldi with drum programming are good too and provide a good mix to the beats in the album. Plus, I believe this was recorded at Fantasy, so it perhaps put a nice vibe to their recording session. I would give this a 5 star, but I just listened to clips from their brand new album and that one sounds better than this one, and I would likely rate that one a 5!