one of my favorite musicians of the last few years
author: John Book
Teddy Presberg has become one of my favorite musicians of the last few years, playing a style of soul, jazz, and blues that sounds like it’s in a good place, but isn’t afraid to go into new territory. For his new album, he escapes the comfort zone and go to those new territories. In other words, he’s expanding his musical pallet, or maybe it’s merely a revealing of those pallets he may have liked before.
Apocalypse Yesterday sounds like what happened when Medeski, Martin & Wood decided to move from their cherished love of jazz and enter their The Dropper era. In this case, there are elements of electronic production, instrumental hip-hop, and soul, and within that an incredible amount of pop sensibility that continues to be a thread of all of his work. The title track is a perfect example of what this album is about, with a very ncie horn section sequence at the end, a bit of spoken word, and layers of sonic depth that make him much more than what people had known of him before.
“Hope And Change” has him playing with a few vocal effects, and as he lays down a guitar solo over a beat ready made for the dance floors, it still sounds like the Presberg of yesterday, just with a new suit. Any of these songs would work perfectly for a television show or movie, so this chapter could be him entering a new era for him. Then again, his next album could be him backed by a 42-piece orchestra. “MMXII” even has him doing a bit of hip-hop swagger.
I like it, because it’s different from what he had been known for, but those who have chosen to explore his path of music creation If the title is to suggest that the world is over, then he is about to move on and see what the future has in store, a bit of “Hope And Future” if you will.
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