Sorry guys. You're still one of my favorite bands, and I will continue to listen to this record until it grows on me, but I'm just not feeling the new formula so far.
Not to compare Soulive's new record to past works. The band openly strives to break new ground with each release, and for that they have kept my attention from the beginning. What's more, this was the trio's first studio venture with a single, full-time vocalist in tow.
That said, that a small personnel change would alter their groove to this extent was certainly not expected. With No Place Like Soul, Soulive has managed to shit out some of their least "Soulive-sounding" matter to date.
Can you spot the band member who wanted to make a real Soulive record? Hint: It's Neal.
Toussaint can sing, no doubt: strong pipes, distinctive tone, solid range. Great vocalist; just maybe not a great Soulive vocalist (see Ivan Neville). His reggae-dusted sound feels more forced than it does natural, and Neal, Alan and Kraz even seem to have dialed themselves back to make things more musically cozy for him.
Sure, the playing itself is top-notch, and I do hear some cool things here and there (Kraz's axe tone, the bridge on "One Of Those Days" and the overall production quality, to name a few). But the structured pop format puts a frustrating cap on the trio's musical capabilities, and the bright spots unfortunately fall within the greater context of, dare I say it, the best Cool Runnings soundtrack never made.
I understand the desire to broaden appeal, and I do hope they reel new fans with this more R&B/pop-leaning sound. (The release's alignment with the Stax re-launch won't hurt in that regard, either.) Still, it is frustrating for us Soulive snobs who have been hanging around since the trio days. Personally, I had been hoping to hear that rock sound from Spring '06 ("See In U," "The Ocean," "Power To Soul") come to life in the studio. Between that tour and the Break Out lineup, I thought they had finally landed on the perfect mix of horns, vocals and Soulive. Oh well.
In any case, it sounds like the band is pretty excited about the record and itching to bring the new songs to the stage. So more power to them for that. I just hope they pick up where they left off with the next project. Take a listen to one of the album's two instrumentals, "Bubble," and you get an idea for where the band might have been headed, were it not for the Toussaint monkey wrench.
Some highlights:
Some lowlights:
The glory years:
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