Customer Reviews

Lounge Excursions [Vinyl]

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

In the Bible of House, a new book has been added. Or shall I say album?  Premiere Chicago house producer Glenn Underground releases a 10 track essay on house with soul. After taking a pause for awhile, Glenn Underground comes out with a house CD relevant to black urban America and spiritually uplifting. Inspired by Curtis Mayfield, Roy Ayers and Gil Scott-Heron, Glenn superbly crafts a delicate masterpiece with afro, Latin, jazz, funk,  and soul themes.

The album opens strong with a lil' track called "Society Rules", a  funky house blaxploitation track that will draw you in with it's lounge style key licks and set the mood for what is an enjoyable journey through house. Throughout the album, George Benson-esque guitar licks frolic up and down, adding a jazz improvisational feel to the whole album, as evidenced in "City People", a highly addictive track.

With "Head of House", Glenn Underground supports the title's claim, creating a smooth house track that is as delicate and complex as anything a human can create.  It's laid-back jazzy style is just a camouflage for real good funky house music, which actually applies to the whole album in general.  "Funki Ghetto" with it's creeping bass line and it's jazzy sax and organs is an intelligently seductive jazz groove. It feels as if you are listening to the "lost" Herbie Hancock & The Headhunters track.

The way Glenn Underground creates house is fluid and deep in texture, similar in quality to Joe Claussell. Glenn Underground has created an album that years from now, people will still listen to and refer others to. A spiritually pleasing excursion through house with a  jazz and funk perspective, constantly reminding us that a body in motion is a good thing.

It is hard to describe the sound that Glenn has made here. The cd starts out with a mellow jazz house sound mixed with alot of jazzy saxophone, seventyish, supafly, strutin basslines and guitar (especially the last track). This cd remains to have that sound throughout all the tracks. The last three tracks especially have a sound that you would here from a hidden, dark martini lounge. All of the tracks for that matter have a smooth, strutin, martini sippin, dark back room bar sound. I dont know if I would consider this a "house" cd, but more a progressive jazz, lounge, groovy musical delight with a detectable hint of deep soulful house. Perfect background music for swank, dimlit, laid back get togethers over looking the city lights. If you like smooth jazz, high flossin, high class sounds, you will dig this. No doubt

I am glad to find a cd I was looking for years in aan excellent price!

If you like a little funk, a little Jazz, a little Bossa Nova, all atop a dangerously driving beat, this one's for you. All of the songs on this CD are strong; they are, however, a tad monotonous after a while. I could easily see chilling to this CD three songs at a time - maybe four, on my more inspired days. The musicianship is excellent; however, due to a rather unfortunate reliance on preset rhythms and samples, the entire effort comes off as being a bit too slick - "canned" - at times. All this is not to say that this melding of 70's soundscapes and 21st century technology is not a worthwhile CD - just don't listen to it too ofter, or you will get burned out.

Excellent work. I'll take 8 out of 10 songs, but I have to recognize that this album contains one of the best songs that I ever hear in my life: FUNKI GHETTO...chapeau, Mr. Glenn!!

If you like the real smoother jazzy side of house music, this CD is the one.

If you like house you gotta own this cd. Simple as that!!! Buy it while you can, since the biggest problem with Glenn Underground's music is that its almost impossible to find!!!