Album / Artist: Black Pumas / Black Pumas
Label: ATO

Reviewed: 10/8/2019
DJ Stace

General Comments / Release Notes
Stax-a-rific! Motown-licious! This is Old School R&B at it’s best. Killer instrumentation, smooth as sweet cream vocals and grooves that will have you humming, whistling and singing for the next 6 months.

Release Notes:
“The creative partnership between Grammy Award-winning guitarist / producer Adrian Quesada and 27-year-old songwriter Eric Burton. Voted Best New Band at the 2019 Austin Music Awards.”

FCCs: none
RIYL: Marvin Gaye, Curtis Mayfield, Sharon Jones, Otis Redding, Isaac Hayes, listening to the Dead President’s sndtrk on repeat.
Play: All, Especially: 1,2,4, but really, just throw at dart at this one and play whatever it hits.

Tracks:
1. **** Black Moon Rising 03:41 - Begins with a drum roll, as if to say “Here comes the R&B Circus.” Midtempo head nodder with a great groove, and Barton’s stellar vocals and falsetto riffs it’s way through a slinky masterpiece. “All she want’s to do is groove, right on baby…” You’ll be singing this one for years.
2. **** Colors 04:06 - Killer little acoustic guitar riff starts off with a jangle, breaks into a killer rim-shot rhythm and doesn’t let go of you. Soulful, new, retro. Midtempo, handclaps, backup vocals are great. A couple of great little interludes make this one more complex that you might expect.
3. *** Know You Better 04:09 - Veering into Marvin Gaye territory with instrumentation and arrangement. Sweet and smooth, with a killer highhat rhythm, spare use of reverbed guitar reminiscent of Isaac Hayes “Walk on By” highlights moments.
4. **** Fire 04:06 - mid-Uptempo, foot stomping booty shaker from the get-go. Horns and a staccato rhythm punctuate a killer set of phrasings and lyrical flights. And, that killer guitar riff in the refrain.
5. *** OCT 33 04:49 - 12 string guitar strumming intro gives way to midtempo 70’s production with strings, etc… nods to Otis with the Fa, Fa, Fa,… and Mayfield’s Cinematic flair.
6. *** Stay Gold 04:35 - This mid tempo groove has a Marvin Gaye flavor to it. Burton shows fantastic range, from Baritone to Falsetto.
7. *** Old Man 03:17 - Mid to uptempo. Addictive little guitar riff and highhat rhythm, throughout.
8. *** Confines 03:09 - Mid to uptempo with great keyboard work and a great/spare guitar solo. 70’s radio perfection.
9. *** Touch The Sky 04:27 - Great intro with dirty little acoustic blues guitar breakdown, slides into satin sheets with the rest of the instrumentation. Great brass.
10. Sweet Conversation 03:22 - Slow tempo, Acoustic and pastoral. Birds chirping, light clicks and slaps for rhythm. Reminiscent of the simple acoustic tunes Bob Marley would throw down every once in a while.