The New Mastersounds
This Is What We Do

"This Is What We Do" by the English band "The New Mastersounds" (Eddie Roberts - Guitar, Simon Allen - percussion, Pete Shand - bass, Bob Birch - "Hammond" organ and piano) is a funk album more in form than in substance.

Without fear of being contradicted, we could define it as "mannered", an exercise in style that, it must be emphasized right from the start, does not leave even the most refined genre enthusiasts indifferent. There is no trace of the corrosive and instinctively vulgar nature of funk, nor of the formal and content-related dirtiness we admire in groups like Funkadelic and Parliament. On the contrary, everything is filtered through a less impulsive and more reasoned compositional approach, even before being through an impeccable production capable of enhancing all the instruments and giving life to an extremely polished and refined sound, stripped of excesses and roughness. Needless to say, what is lost in instinctiveness is gained in listenability and enjoyment and, presumably, in audience appreciation.

Moving on to a more detailed analysis, it is necessary to first note the lack of vocal parts: the album is therefore effectively an instrumental funk one, with all the pros and cons that such a choice entails. And I would say that, at least this time, the cons outweigh the pros, partially offsetting the surplus of appreciation obtained with the solutions described above. It happens that, track after track, the absence of vocal lines makes listening a bit tiresome, affecting the evaluation of the tracks. In particular, there is a risk of arriving unmotivated and inattentive to the second half of the album, where, paradoxically, we find the most interesting compositions: the free and casual "Afternoon At Gigi's", the conga triumph of "Pure" and the extraordinary evocative power of "La Cova", the best track on the album, with its sensually syncopated groove: a splendid woman trying to enchant us with the sinuosity of her movements and the subtle mischief of her gaze only to leave us longing when she already has us in her grasp. It is also worth noting the presence of two high-end covers: “Zambesi” by Donny Hathaway (opening track) and “Ain’t No Telling” by Jimi Hendrix, with Birch's Hammond taking center stage, gifting us a truly overwhelming final solo, in the style of Ray Manzarek.

In short, a good album, with good funk music played by four excellent musicians. Recommended (the exact rating is 3.5).

Tracklist: 1) Zambesi 2) All I Want (Right Now) 3) The Thin Drum - feat. Sam Bell 4) You Got It All 5) Land Of Nod 6) Ain't No Telling 7) The Minx 8) Afternoon At Gigi's 9) Pure - feat. Sam Bell 10) La Cova 11) Baby Bouncer 12) The Vandenburg Suite