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De-Boogified Disco Covers

Sir Charles Panther | Alexandria, Virginny, USandA | 04/25/2006

(3 out of 5 stars)

"I'm torn over this CD. One the one hand it's a collection of truly alternative covers of some of the greatest disco hits, so I'm all for it. My all-time favorite, Cheryl Lynn's "Got To Be Real" even leads off this 10-track collection. But at the same time, all of these classics have been turned into "smooth jazz," and that aspect makes me want to puke. This insidious "sub-genre" of jazz, this ridiculous growth industry of predictable, plodding, harmless, head-bobbing musical Wonder Bread is as infuriating as anything there is, with its warm n' frien'ly nylon string acoustic guitars, overly sexy-soft saxophones, and rhythms to lull you to stupor.



Overall, it's great concept, with sub-optimal execution. Some of the songs are outstanding, imaginative re-arrangements of your disco favorites, whereas some are sad and sorry, warmed-over disco zombies, staggering about as sleepy, predictable reworked smooth jazz.



I wonder why there are only ten songs. CDs can hold a lot more than this, and there are an awful lot of true disco classics that aren't covered here. The overall CD value is good, but there should have been at least five more songs.



The touchstone "Got To Be Real" is a good opener, and one of the best tracks on the collection. There's a nice, cymbal-heavy dance beat which continues right on through the coda, the bridge, unstoppable. There's a nice sax solo, followed by a smooth if a bit too short guitar solo, and then no return to the chorus, just right on to the board fade. The staccato bump and the driving bass of the original have been toned down, but not by too much.



The next tune is "Groove Line." It's opening bars are unmistakable, and then comes that unmistakable disco vocal punctuation of "ooh, ooh." If anything from that song would be discarded for a smooth jazz arrangement, I'd think this would be it. But sadly, no. It takes a while to get to, but there's a rocking guitar solo that's just getting started when the sax solo comes in and cuts it off.



Joe Fuentes' "Boogie Oogie Oogie" is probably the worst smooth jazz offender, with the full acoustic guitar, faux Earl Klugh treatment. A song that had as its simple refrain, "Get down . . ." is reduced to a quiet, somnambulant and ultimately boring rendition. It's as radio-ready as it can be, and that's about the nicest thing I can say. This is a tune to play in front of the ice sculpture at the ladies' auxilliary garden tea party.



Then comes Shakatak's "Boogie Wonderland." Of the artists on this CD, Shak is the only group I'm familiar with, from the old "Bitch To The Boys" and "Night Birds" days in the early 80s. Refreshingly, this lightly pounding club arrangement is anything but smooth jazz. From the very first note, it's a thrumming club dance mix, with that unmistakeable "uhn-tiss" beat. The bpm has been ratcheted up, naturally, and all of the vocals remain. The only real new addition is that signature Shakatak piano presence, and some nice solos. This one is a winner.





Soft Sugar's "Let's Get It Together" is a barely warmed-over cover, bland and unimaginative throughout.



Nite Flyte's "Don't Leave Me this Way" is another example of commercialized, standardized, over-formatted smooth jazz glop. It's just another former pseudo-hit, jazzed up with a little bit more rhythm, some reverb, and a few schmaltzy keyboard solos. It's the worst kind of modern elevator, "at work" music.



Conversely, Exodus Quartet's take on Andrea True's "More, More, More" is outstanding. The tune is immediately recognizable, but it's also clear from the first couple of bars that this is a seriously reworked outing, and it operates brilliantly. The orchestration is twangy Fender Rhodes with some nice organ backing, and some smooth sax soloing. It's a great slow dance number, or a smooth head-bobber.



Sadly, "How Deep Is Your Love" is more smooth jazz vanilla, dull and unimaginative, sounding like Burt Bacharach Muzak covers from the 1980s, the only signs of life coming in the guitar solo in the final ten seconds of the board fade.



Duncan Millar's "Upside Down" is another gem. It takes the basic hook of the title bar, and takes it for an extended jam. This is where this album is best, where the original disco hits serve as springboards for a little bit of exploration and experimentation, and this track has got it.



The album concludes with the Jazz Steppers' "Give Me The Night." It's another snoozer, slowed down from the original in an apparent attempt to sex it up. The only vocals are the refrain of "Cause there's music in the air and lots of lovin' everywhere/Just give me the night," which you get over and over, and over, at least a dozen times on the out-tro. The modulation of the vocals is poor, and it actually sounds like the speakers are unused to English, or lisping, or off-key, or all of the above. The only saving grace in this track is the bass solo moving through the song. There is some nice lead guitar and keyboard work, both of which are relegated to the background. Eliminate the lame vocals and bring the instruments to the front, and this would have been a great track.



Bottom line: This album runs hot and cold, between the inspired and the formulaic. If you grew up in the 70s, and if disco was a big deal for you, then this is a nice addition at a fair price to bring some depth to your disco holdings. It's different enough, and isn't really grating. Some of the efforts really are quite good, but some are robbed of their strength with the smooth jazz treatment. Whether it's lack of imagination or too much reverence for the original, I couldn't tell you. But, if you're a smooth jazz junkie, this will scratch all of your itches, just right."