Brand New Heavies:
All About The Funk

Release Date: 18 October 2004

Reviewed By: Victoria Balfour

1. Boogie

2. Need Some More

3. Waste My Time

4. Keep On Shining

5. Waht Do You Take Me For

6. Surrender

7. Many Rivers To Cross

8. How Do You Think

9. Every Time We Turn It Up

10. It Could Be Me

11. I Feel Right

12. How We Do This

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Back with a new record deal, new vocalist and new album, it seems the Brand New Heavies are back and are clearly here to stay. With artists such as Katie Melua, Jamie Cullum and Joss Stone taking the single and album charts by storm with a new kind of jazz and soul collaboration, it seems the Brand New Heavies have timed their comeback to perfection.

Initially named Brother Sister, the group compiled itself together in 1985 and members Jan Kincaid, Simon Bartholomew and Andrew Levy started out as an instrumental band, until 1987 when female vocalist N’Dea Davenport came along to add a little soul into the mix. Songs such as ‘Never Stop’ and ‘Dream Come True’ exploded onto the airwaves creating a name for themselves, and by 1992, their second album went double platinum in the U.K and practically gold in the U.S. Siedah Garrett later joined to replace Davenport but that partnership was short-lived as Nicole later replaced Garrett.

Their new album, ‘All About The Funk’, disfigures rumours that the group have been on a long holiday since their mid-Nineties success, but they have been working hard fusing together the sounds of jazz, soul and R&B to bring together an album worthy of the success of which I’m sure it will truly have.

By far the best single, is their current release and track No.1 on the album – ‘Boogie’. It instantly makes you sit up and take note. Ms Russo’s voice is divine and certainly worth room-stopping attention. The record is a wonderful combination of jazz and soul, and appears to have a hint of 70s Disco mixed in for flavour. The song is definitely the perfect choice to open the album up with and the perfect representation of what the Brand New Heavies represent.

Track five is a beautiful example of the capability of the group and what they have to offer. The track attractively shows off the vocal talent of Nicole Russo, and the instrumental capability of the rest of the group.

All the songs are of the same high quality; however there are a selected few which I feel let the album down slightly. The unwanted, slow, unemotional track number seven, ‘Many Rivers To Cross’, doesn’t incorporate the same upbeat funky substance as the rest of the album, which subsequently makes the track stick out like a sore thumb.

‘Every Time We Turn It Up’ is another disappointment as it is a complete contrast from track two, which I feel exudes lyrical genius, with lyrics such as: ‘Love’s almost gone from the industry where we belong/ but your appreciation keeps us strong.’ Compare this to track nine, which boasts lyrics such as: ‘Be making the beats for the crowds to rock/ Make the people go woo oo oo’.

The majority of songs are written and produced by the group, and judging from their past success and the material on their current album, I’d say ‘All About The Funk’ should be an album in everyone’s collection. I know it’ll certainly be in mine.

Rating: 4 out of 5

Top three tracks:
1) Boogie
2) Need Some More
5) What Do You Take Me For

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