I had originally only heard the cover of Hey Jude by the O.B. trio and was hugely impressed.  I was expecting to have a whole slew of pulsing funky rythyms and bass heavy jams with of course, the ever-funky overton on the keys.  This disc is not exactly that, but it is a very intersting blend of some smooth to funky jazz influenced tracks and even a little bit of soulful classical rock influenced tracks (black bottom).  It is a curious combination at best, but fascinating and exceedingly well performed.  A formidable gem of the northwest.
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After hearing the Superstar break in a club in Oxford in 1996, I had to first find out who the artist was, then track down the album, then keel over at the price of the original... so at last it's back and on CD!

It's not entirely what I expected, but better - I have whole CDs of funky breaks which are great at parties but tiresome elsewhere - this has a great funky opener with some radical lyrics, followed by the super-mellow When A Child Is Born, which has a sort of late night whisky and memories kind of feel. Black Bottom is a groovy soul track with a funky edge and reminds me of the best of Bill Withers. I wasn't sure about Color My World to begin with, but it's grown on me and the opening piano segment is just beautiful... Jesus Christ Superstar: I don't know what it's like in the States, but in the UK anything by Andrew Lloyd Webber is regarded as the ultimate cheese, a big pile of steaming pants, but this medley suddenly makes it... almost cool. As a track, it's a bit dated in places, and downright odd in others, but when it breaks into the funky last segment you might have heard in compilations, you just know it was all worthwhile. The closer, Eglise, is a pretty chilled out jazz peice that just makes me think: I want more of these guys. All in all, worth the search and the long, long, long, long wait.
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