Strength [EP]

Roy Hargrove | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (September 28, 2004)
• Original Release Date: 2004
• Number of Discs: 1
• Format: EP
• Label: Verve
• ASIN: B0002UNQVI
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  Vinyl  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 3.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #128,757 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Growing Up in the 70's, January 30, 2005

By 

A. Davis "astandavis" (Greenville, SC) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Strength (Audio CD)

Roy Hargrove mentioned in a recent magazine article that RH Factor was his opportunity to play in the style of some of the music he grew up listening to. His goal was to play it like he heard it back then, but also to update the sound to incorporate things he has learned along the way. To that end, "Strength", just like "Hard Groove" is an unqualified success. Where as "Hard Groove" laid more on the R&B vibe, "Strength" migrates over to the Soul Jazz landscape.

There is a solid 1970's vibe running through each track on this disc. "Rich Man's Welfare" is a J B's type jam with a strong groove and firery horns. You can hear Tower of Power themes running through "Bop Drop". This track is cut from the same fabric as "Oakland Stoke" and "Squibb Cakes". It has a great organ & horn jam section at the end . The title track "Strength" is a nod to the vibe Donald Byrd created during his "Blackbirds" and "Places and Spaces" period. This music also hints at the electric jazz that Feddie Hubbard recorded during his 70's Columbia period. "Listen Here" is straight up Soul Jazz with a hint of Crusaders and electric Miles Davis. "For Fun" would have fitted comfortably on "Hard Groove" with its' nice R & B / dancefloor groove. "Universe" takes me back to Donald Byrd and Lonnie Liston Smith with a hint of Freddie Hubbard. Nice job Roy.

Some will write these tracks off as out of character for Roy Hargrove. This music is important because it is a part of the Roy Hargrove's history. Every now and then, we all need to reflect back on the things in our past that made us who we are today. RH Factor allows Roy to reconnect to something he obviously loves. I enjoyed this recording as much as I have enjoyed everthing he has recorded in the past. Whether he plays Jazz, Cuban music, R&B or Soul Jazz, Roy Hargrove has something to say. He plays what's in his heart, and for that, I respect his talent and the way he presents his music. Nice going Roy - Peace!!!

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Strong!, March 22, 2007

By 

Gwada Massive - See all my reviews

This review is from: Strength (Audio CD)

Not for everyone, but the music on this record is definitely way up there. It's the new bop folks, listen up.

6 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Resentful of the Amazon review, November 23, 2004

By 

Miguel Merino "tubsmaster" - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Strength (Audio CD)

I don't feel that the RH Factor's first album "didn't keep its momentum all the way through." That is one of the best albums in history. The music has such a positive message and is so uplifting. Strength, on the other hand, is much less focused. The approach is more of a jam session, whereas on Hard Groove the whole record is about the songs and the arrangements. One track on Strength, "For Fun," is simply "Common Free Style," with a displaced melody and without the free style. I would have expected more great collaborations with people like D'Angelo and Erykah for the RH Factor's second record. Strength is cool and has the same energy that the funk tunes on RH Factor do, but it is the combination of the funk, beautiful songs, and amazing vocalists and instrumentalists that made RH Factor unique, and one of my favorite albums ever.