![the souljazz orchestra – under burning skies the souljazz orchestra – under burning skies](https://f4.bcbits.com/img/0019247149_50.jpg)
Like a love letter to music and video games, Marshall Art and Cory Johnson make something for fans of both on this EP. Marshall Art & Cory Johnson - Timeline EP (Ottawa) With a hint of jazz, "Statuette" mixes different percussion and instrumentation from the rest of the album to make a smooth and mystifying song worthy of Tom Waits. "Minefield of Memory" brings in a lot more of bizarre writing and elements that tend to disappear on half the album, making mantra-like chants with a powerful build. The album's sucker punch comes on "Fatal Gift" which seems to start on a similar yet menacing piano line that slowly infuses background sequencers until the track drops into a full-blown dance beat. "Planets" starts the record with a swooning wave of vocals, all guided by Haines' piano work, with the darker lyricism giving context for everything by the end. Advancing her solo work more than ever, this new record finds Haines taking her piano ballads into deeper into the electronica that has made Metric so gripping over the years. As saxophonist Ray Murray says, "Souljazz is more than just a band for us, it's a way of life.Emily Haines & The Soft Skeleton - Choir Of The Mind (Toronto)īetween her work in Metric, and her work on the latest Broken Social Scene record, it's amazing Emily Haines even had time for a solo record this year. Not many bands out there have been going for 15 years with their original line-up still intact while still sounding as fresh as this. Nominated for a Canadian Juno award for the third time in 2016, the band regularly tear up venues worldwide through their punishing touring schedule – they have played to audiences in over two dozen countries across the globe and have shared bills along the way with heavyweights as varied as Stevie Wonder, Bob Dylan, and Femi Kuti. The Souljazz Orchestra continue to be an unstoppable force. The band go on exploring their passion for French Caribbean styles on the beautiful, lilting ‘Oublier Pour Un Jour’ and ‘Tambour À Deux Peaux’ and they take time for reflection on the potent instrumental title track and poignant closer ‘Aduna Jarul Naawo’, featuring the vocals of Élage Mbaye. Opener ‘Dog Eat Dog’ powers in with Mabinuori Idowu and Philippe Lafrenière lambasting the powerful and the corrupt over an infectious Afro-disco groove ‘Lufunki’ takes the group right back to their B-Boy roots, bringing the Afro vibes to Beat Street and ‘Is Yeelyel’ delivers a killer rework of an obscure original by Somalian super-group Dur-Dur Band. The fruits are a-plenty and the group sound at their confident and versatile best from start to finish. Musically, the band continue to push the limits, dusting off ‘80s vintage synthesizers and early drum machines for the first time, bringing lo fi disco, boogie and electro touches to their trademark horn arrangements and earthy analogue sound. Turbulent times call for strong voices and The Souljazz Orchestra’s new set packs a suitably heavy lyrical punch, with wry observations and an urge for progressive change.
![the souljazz orchestra – under burning skies the souljazz orchestra – under burning skies](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/_H9XYN3Zn0I/maxresdefault.jpg)
Canada’s fastest moving and hardest working collective are back with one of their finest albums to date, a brand new journey into tropical, soul and jazz styles on their scorching new release, ‘Under Burning Skies’.