Steady Groovin

Soulive | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (March 29, 2005)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Blue Note Records
• ASIN: B0007TKH8O
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #112,530 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)
  • #60 in Music > Jazz > Jazz Jam Bands

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

Although not clearly stated in the title, this is a compilation of the soul-jazz-funk-jam band's songs aimed primarily at those new their sound. The album highlights Soulive’s more upbeat improv tendencies and their genre-stretching abilities. Comprised only of drums, guitar and keyboards (bass is handled by pedals from Hammond B-3 man Neil Evans), the threesome gets a lot of sound out of it’s relatively stripped down format. Crisp and tight, the approach finds common ground between Booker T. & the MGs' crackling R&B instrumentals, Medeski, Martin and Wood’s more experimental acid jazz and even Brian Auger’s Jimmy Smith based vibe. The programming features the band’s buoyant nature, especially on the Fred Wesley dominated "Doin’ Something," and the live tracks. Expanding into hip-hop with The Roots' (Black Thought rapping on "Clap"), the group stumbles slightly from an all-instrumental M.O. but shows an impressive willingness to broaden their horizons. A cover of Stevie Wonder’s "Golden Lady" from a Japanese release is the disc’s one rarity and probably isn’t enough to entice established fans. As Soulive’s final release on Blue Note, Steady Groovin’ works best as an overview as opposed to a straight hits collection/contract fulfiller, and is an excellent place for those unfamiliar with the group to hop on board. --Hal Horowitz

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Steady Groovin, December 22, 2005

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Audiostar (USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Steady Groovin (Audio CD)

Roughly 10 years after founding the seminal jam band Moonboot Lover in the early 1990s, Buffalo-born brothers Alan & Neal Evans teamed up with the naturally gifted upstart guitarist Eric Krasno to form the funky organ trio Soulive. This modern incarnation of the classic B-3 organ trio (ala Jimmy Smith) took the music scene by storm at the turn of the millenium and has since toured and/or recorded with everyone from Dave Matthews to the Neville Brothers to Talib Kweli. This range of collaborators mirrors the broadness of Soulive's sound, and their mix of jazz, funk, soul and hip hop is arguably the freshest sound to have hit the jam band circuit. With Soulive, every track they've ever recorded seriously grooves, thus Steady Groovin is a retrospective of select funky moments.

Of note are tracks featuring special guests Fred Wesley (of James Brown fame) and Black Thought of The Roots. Also, the two final selections are being released on a Soulive record for the first time in the US- one of which features DJ Spinna and the other is the bands take on Stevie Wonder's classic "Golden Lady".