Customer Reviews

Next

5 star:		(12)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

I didn't think it was possible to jump this far ahead of their oustanding Blue Note debut, Doin' Something...God Damn. One great track after the next. These cats can do it all - organ jazz, hip-hop, soul, groove, funk - but they do it with a sound all their own. 'Next' evolves their style to a new level, thanks in part to the addition of the sublime Sam Kininger to the group on sax. Songwriting is better than ever; incredible grooves, pockets, breaks and solos are all over this record. Favorites include "nay-nay," "kalen" and "clap!" (featuring Black Thought of The Roots), but every track burns. Hip-hop, jazz, and jam band fans will instantly love it, but this is truly a great record that should make waves in all music circles.

Not sure where these guys are headed, but I'm heading in the opposite direction. My sentiments echo what many have already said: "Overproduced", "smooth", etc. "Next" was such a disappointment considering how much I liked "Doin' Something". I wonder who's really behind this, Soulive or Bluenote (or both). And before everyone gets all crazy, I'm all for a band trying new things, growing musically, yada, blah, whatever, but this is such a departure from their previous sound that I just can't sponsor it.

Despite my negative review, I do applaud the band for trying to reach out to a wider audience. I just wish they hadn't compromised their sound as much as they did.

Ever since I saw these guys live in a little and very personal club, I loved 'em. I immediatly went out and got "Turn it Out" and wasn't dissapointed (as a matter of fact I was extatic). When "Doin Somthin" came out I was waiting at the store to buy it (well, not really... but you know how it feels). See my review of that album for more. So naturally when "Next" came out I was very excited. I was about to buy it when I though, "Hmm, maybe I should listen to it first." I'm quite glad I did. Their sound has become increasingly overproduced and smooth and at this point it feels more like backgrounds or a series of grooves (which weren't terribly rich in sound) thrown together. The amazing guitar playing of Eric Krasno has been moved to the background (of the backgrounds)and I often had to remind myself that he was even there. Sam Kininger's sax lines are often verry smooth and not of that funky-jazzy ellement so essential to the original Soulive sound. While some musicians, such as Miles, can pull off drastic stylistic changes seamlessly and still produce incredible records, I wouldn't say Soulive fits in that group.

This is the soundtrack for a day of browsing through chain bookstores.I was very dissapointed. Krasno is an afterthought in this soulless, studio born album.
Im waiting for the REAL follow up to Doin Something.

I couldn't wait until their next album came out. I thought it was gonna be some stuff that nobody ever heard. I was dead wrong. The very first Soulive album is their best album to date. On Next, the addition of more instruments takes away from the sound that we thought was Soulive. The first album is like this: Organ, Drums, Guitar- Go!. Next is like this: Organ, Keyboards (Ugh), Drums (always pocket), Guitar (same stuff), and saxophone. Why? Soulive does not need a saxophone player. You can barely hear the organ over the sax, and that is not what we expect when we listen to Soulive. Also, most of the songs are so simple and repetitive, my garage band could have done this album 5 years ago. No doubt there are some good songs on this album, but they just do not belong on this album. Get It? For example, the hip-hop influenced "I Don't Know" and "Bridge to Bama" are definitely hot, and can make you groove on the dance floor. But this is Soulive right? The Organ, Drum, Guitar trio. These hip hop songs don't fit, and this is coming from a hip hop fan. There are no real ripping Hammond solos, and there is too much breaking away from the Hammond as well. What is with these keyboards Neal? It's just not cool man. You're gonna be sounding just like everybody else. Don't buy into the propoganda. Maybe Soulive is trying not to be repetitious by playing organ, drums, and guitar all the time, but in these times of copycat artists and extreme sameness, they are not repetitious at all. Even after all this criticism, they are still Soulive and them boys got ridiculous talent. They just need to learn how to make every album the best album that it can be.
-Peace-

the addition of vocal talent, although still resulting in some chill tracks, really takes away from soulive's musical talent. at least half of the album seems to be mainly comprised of looped, downbeat samples creating, in effect, melodies that resemble high school "slow dance" songs rather than the band's prior jazzy urban tunes. the remainder of the album holds true to the band's earlier days, but while noticably soulive, ends up coming across more as background music you'd hear on the weather channel. not their best work...

If you are someone who listens to nothing but hip-hop music, you will probably think you are hearing "jazz" when you rip this. That's what scares me - that and all of the other things that Blue Note seems to be willing to do to water down their brand. To someone who listens to a lot of jazz (actual jazz) and blues and rock/pop/soul and classical and world music, like me, this stuff will sound like slick formulaic clap-track party music that leaves no back-beat behind, with very little improvisational interest, and absolutely no compositional interest. I wonder how the band can even keep these tunes straight in their own heads when they're trying to play them live, but then I do have to remind myself that Eskimos are reported to use over 50 different words for "blubber" and more than twice that number for "snow". The drummer can probably keep them straight because he pretty much does the same thing on every song with no variation and without *ever* missing the 2 and 4 on that overly-crisp snare. Two stars for "Next" because it does make you want to get up and shake your booty if you're really drunk first. Otherwise, and unfortunately for me, this music is pretty much Souless.

I think my title says it all. Bought on the recommendation of a friend, based on my love of MMW, this is not even in the same realm. MMW is raw, gritty, and dirty, with all sorts of sounds going on in and around their music. Soulive has none of this. It's not quite as bad as smooth jazz, but it's close. The production is too slick, and the organ, sax, and guitar sounds are so cheesy I felt I needed some bread and a skillet. The only song worth anything here is the Ani cover ("Joyful Girl"), on which Dave Matthews' voice shines - and I usually can't stand him or his band (or their fans, but that's neither here nor there). "Next" is exactly what I said when this album ended, and it'll probably stay in its case on the shelf forever.

First of all, I've been a Soulive fan for coming up on two years now, from the very first time I heard the Turn It Out! reissue. That album is tremendous, and anyone wanting to check out Soulive should try that over either of the Blue Note albums. I thought Doin' Something was very good, but it lacked the raw energy of Turn It Out! and the spontaneous groove nature was also greatly diminished.
When I first heard about Next and that it would include a song with Dave Matthews, I was very scared! And as it turned out, I was right to be scared. The album is very over-produced, a 180 degree turn from Turn It Out! Also, though having a diversity of sounds and styles on an album is often good, for Soulive it is steering them away from what their best at. Surprisingly, the guest appearances weren't too bad, other than the Amel Larrieux track. But they were diverse enough on Turn It Out!, with cookin' organ tracks, fiery 10-minute jams, and soulful ballads. Soulive, that's all you need!!!!!
The direction Soulive is taking with their lineup and instrumentation is also dismaying. The formal addition of Sam Kininger on alto, after increasing guest appearances on the last two albums, is not necessary, as he is often doubling the organ parts and is just making the people who call Soulive "smooth jazz" more correct! Also, as mentioned in the liner notes (by the way, even the LINER NOTES on Turn It Out! are far superior to those for Next. The message in Turn It Out!'s notes were funny and different, while Next's notes are cliched and trying way too hard to be cool, talking about Soulive trying to connect with what's cool on the bus these days and other nonsense! AARGH!), Neal Evans is adding other keyboards to his rig and is not solely playing the Hammond B3 anymore. WHY?!?!? Other keyboards will just continue to make Soulive's sound cheesier and a further departure from the raw, funky sounds of (yes, you guessed it) Turn It Out!
OK, enough ranting! It's still Soulive, so it's still better than alot of the music you could be buying. There are a few smokin' jams reminiscent of their earlier sound. But their sound is now focused on breaking through and becoming more popular, which always spells trouble. Alright, I'm calming down.....

Despite the violent objections to Dave Matthews' song on this review site, I on the other hand thought it a refreshing change from Soulive's usual charged-up fare. Fusion may be fun, but ballads are in no way inferior. The fact is, jazz is all-encompassing in styles and thus malleable. THIS is the point that most reviewers here missed out --- they obviously prefer only a certain genre (fusion). Take it from an objective music-appreciator: "Joyful Girl" will melt you all over and create the perfect ambience for an evening with your lady / man. Dave Matthews' voice is also wonderful.

As for the REST of the album, well, the other reviewers seemed fair in their critique, so read them.