Sweetback

<PRE> SWEETBACK It isn't easy getting a hand on Sweetback. Just when you think you've plotted their course and come to grips with their mood, they throw another switch, turn another key, and toss you what can only be described as the musical equivalent of a curve ball. That's because Sweetback are all about displacement: Urban soul music that shifts freely between styles and types and rhythms and beats, yet still comes across as fresh, urgent and essential every time. Their self-produced, self-titled Epic debut album is music to chill, music for films, music to wind up your waist. It's global soul music with its own sense of purpose and identity. Sweetback is three-quarters of the Sade band, without that lady: Andrew Hale (piano, keyboards, programming), Stuart Matthewman (guitars, saxophones, programming), and Paul Spencer Denman (bass). All have been an integral part of Sade's music since their 1984 debut Diamond Life, and their diverse tastes and influences make Sweetback's music something slightly off-kilter: dubwise but not exactly dub, rich in ambience but not "ambient music." The Sweetback saga began in early 1994, at the end of Sade's "Love Deluxe" world tour. Stuart Matthewman returned to New York to build his own studio: He'd already begun recording and releasing a series of underground 12-inch singles under such names as Cottonbelly and Edge Test, records which were received enthusiastically in clubs from London to Los Angeles. In addition, Stuart co-wrote, produced and played on three tracks - "Welcome," "Whenever Wherever Whatever," and "Lonely's The Only Company" - from Maxwell's acclaimed debut album, Maxwell's Urban Hang Suite. Meanwhile in London, Andrew Hale (through his company Deliverance) created soundscapes for fashion shows by such leading designers as Paul Smith and collaborated on his own music with Toshi and Kudo of noted Japanese production team Major Force. Not content with dressing himself as oddly as possible, Paul Denman attempted to get all of L.A. to do likewise by opening a boutique called Goddess in partnership with his wife. As time passed and the Sweetback collaboration progressed, Stuart, Andrew and Paul continued to exchange DATs, engage in protracted late-night phone calls, and visit each other's home cities. Gradually their efforts brought together a diverse array of guest performers: Groove Theory vocalist Amel Larrieux, progressive r&b rising-star Maxwell, Philly rap queen Bahamadia, and Sade cohort Leroy Osbourne, each of whom takes a step beyond their own established styles on Sweetback. Take, for example, "Au Natural," featuring Bahamadia's rap and Alex Baby's turntable wizardry. Stuart and Andrew simultaneously got hooked on Bahamadia's 12-inch, "UKNOWHOWWEDU," an a cappella version of which happened to fit their own backing-track-in-progress with uncanny accuracy. When contacted through management and supplied with a tape of Sweetback's music, Bahamadia came through with a brand-new rap pegged to an indelible refrain: "True romance with respect/So brothers, recollect." For Leroy Osbourne, Sweetback represents a long-awaited moment in the spotlight after nearly a decade as a crucial supporting vocalist for Sade, both on stage and record. His delicate and deeply moving rendition of the Bill Withers classic "Hope She'll Be Happier" is the first lead vocal performance on record from this gifted singer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist. No less affecting are the performances of Maxwell on "Softly Softly"; and Groove Theory's Amel Larrieux on two songs, the album opener "Gaze" and "You Will Rise." Check Andrew Hale's Fender Rhodes piano and Paul Denman's deep but restrained bass line beneath Amel's yearning lead and heavenly vocal arrangement. On other tracks like "Chord," "Powder," and "Cloud People," Sweetback reverts to the richly atmospheric, purely instrumental album it was originally intended to be. There are echoes of trip-hop and fusion jazz, ambient dub and the natural world, all adding up to a music that's much more than the sum of its influences. Sweetback plays like scenes from a film that doesn't exist yet: Listen, and dream up one of your own. Sweetback Release Date: 10/15/1996 Product#: EK67492 1 - Gaze (featuring Amel Larrieux) 2 - Softly Softly (featuring Maxwell) 3 - Sensations 4 - Au Natural (featuring Bahamadia) 5 - Arabesque 6 - You Will Rise (featuring Amel Larrieux) 7 - Chord 8 - Walk Of Ju 9 - Hope She'll Be Happier (featuring Leroy Osbourne) 10 - Come Dubbing 11 - Cloud People 12 - Powder </PRE>  <HR align='center' width='50%'> <B>Your browser does not support frames!</B><BR><BR> Some of the features on this site require a frames-capable browser, since much of the functionality would be impossible without frames. 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