Ronnie Foster • Sweet Revival

 

Review by Stephen Thomas Erlewine

"Let me begin by saying that this is not the greatest jazz album you've ever heard." So states critic/DJ Harry Abraham in the liner notes on the back of Sweet Revival, Ronnie Foster's second album as a leader. Abraham was obviously trying to deflect criticism that this record is, in his words, "a commercial album that could have just as easily been titled 'Ronnie Foster Plays the Top 40 hits of the Seventies With Horns, Strings and Voices,'" but nothing he could write would make this album acceptable to jazz purists. Foster's fondness for funky soul-jazz would be enough to earn the disdain of some critics, but he compounds his problems by piling on contemporary funk, soul, and pop influences. Sweet, sweeping strings straight out of Philadelphia are all over Sweet Revival, as are wah-wah and fuzz guitars, slap bass, electric pianos, vocal choruses, and electric sitars. Half of the album is devoted to pop covers ("Back Stabbers," "Me and Mrs. Jones," "Alone Again (Naturally)"), with a couple of fusion numbers and originals thrown in for good measure. Certainly, this is the stuff that enrages jazzbos, and the album does sound like the soundtrack for a cut-rate blaxploitation flick, but that's part of its appeal. Fans of that sound will find much of the album appealing, even if the vocals can sound eerie (check out the heavily echoed intro to "Where Is the Love?") and the sitars sound silly. Although the album sounds dated, the grooves are funky, and Sweet Revival remains one of the most engaging records of groovy, jazzy funk-soul of its era.

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Revisión por Stephen Thomas Erlewine

"Permítanme comenzar diciendo que este no es el mejor álbum de jazz que hayas escuchado". Así lo afirma el crítico / DJ Harry Abraham en las notas en la parte posterior de Sweet Revival, el segundo álbum de Ronnie Foster como líder. Abraham obviamente estaba tratando de desviar las críticas de que este disco es, en sus palabras, "un álbum comercial que fácilmente podría haber sido titulado 'Ronnie Foster interpreta los 40 mejores éxitos de los setenta con cuernos, cuerdas y voces'", pero nada Él podría escribir haría este álbum aceptable para los puristas de jazz. La afición de Foster por el soul-jazz funky sería suficiente para ganar el desdén de algunos críticos, pero agrava sus problemas acumulando influencias contemporáneas de funk, soul y pop. Las cuerdas dulces y arrebatadas directamente de Filadelfia están por todo Sweet Revival, al igual que las guitarras wah-wah y fuzz, los bajos bofetadas, los pianos eléctricos, los coros vocales y los sitares eléctricos. La mitad del álbum está dedicado a las portadas de pop ("Back Stabbers", "Me and Mrs. Jones", "Alone Again (Naturally)"), con un par de números de fusión y originales lanzados en buena medida. Ciertamente, esta es la materia que enfurece a los jazzbos, y el álbum suena como la banda sonora de una película de blaxploitation de alta velocidad, pero eso es parte de su atractivo. A los fanáticos de ese sonido les parecerá atractivo el álbum, incluso si las voces pueden sonar extrañas (echa un vistazo a la introducción de "Where Is the Love?") Y los sitars suenan tontos. Aunque el álbum suena anticuado, los ritmos son funky, y Sweet Revival sigue siendo uno de los discos más atractivos de groovy, jazzy funk-soul de su época.

 

 

 

 

Tracklist:
1 - Sweet Revival - 3:52
2 - Lisa's Love - 5:20
3 - Back Stabbers - 3:20
4 - Me And Mrs. Jones - 4:23
5 - Alone Again (Naturally) - 4:05
6 - Where Is The Love? - 5:26
7 - Some Neck - 4:43
8 - It's Just Gotta Be That Way - 3:49
9 - Superwoman - 5:00
10 - Inot - 5:03

Credits:
Drums – Bernard Purdie
Electric Bass [Fender] – Wilbur Bascomb Jr.
Electric Guitar – David Spinozza, John Tropea
Electric Piano – Ernest Hayes
Tenor Saxophone – Seldon Powell
Trombone – Garnett Brown
Organ – Ronnie Foster

Recording Date: December 14 & 15, 1972
Recorded at: Generation Sound Studio, New York, New York

Label: Blue Note ‎– 5816762
Released: 2003
Genre: Jazz, Funk / Soul
Style: Soul-Jazz
https://www.amazon.com/Sweet-Revival-Ronnie-Foster/dp/B000CSUYCE

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