Bonus Track: Brand New Day (Free with Bandcamp purchase!)
For their first official release with In Space & Time Records, five-member band Soul Spectrum gives us "Cosmic Love/Not Reflected", a prismatic single revealing the band's roots in Soul, Jazz, and R&B. Bringing on singer Lucius Clark for this journey in sound, whose smooth timbre has been compared to Marvin Gaye and Smokey Robinson, Soul Spectrum's blending of warm keyboard harmonies, syncopated guitar strums, funky bass patterns, and a foundation-laying rhythm section is reminiscent of sonorities from the past yet progressively contemporary. This is 21st century soul at its best. Whether crooning the listener with soft yet confident melodic lines or belting out full-on, melismatic runs, Clark's expressiveness of these songs' soulful lyrics displays his wide and capable vocal range.
This single, as a teaser for Soul Spectrum's upcoming LP to be released this summer, is a venture in duality. "Cosmic Love" explores the complexities and intricacies of a deep infatuation with a universal love that pervades through all relationships and grows to interstellar proportions, both overwhelming and captivating ("A love so strong it makes it hard to breathe.") In contrast, "Not Reflected" is the lament of a person whose intense feelings for someone are not shared mutually ("When I'm with you/It's so clear/That the way I feel for you is not reflected.") To bring things full-circle, included as a bonus track is "Brand New Day", a positive and upbeat outtake that diametrically balances the striving nature of the first two tracks, and is all about relishing new beginnings.
This neo-soul effort marks this band's first release and imprint on the world, bringing not only a colorful spectra of catchy, expressive melodies and funky beats, but also a multi-dimensional array of talent that will continue to flourish as Soul Spectrum continues to mold their sound.
Look for their full-length LP this Summer 2014!
credits
released March 4, 2014
Soul Spectrum
"Comic Love/Not Reflected" Single
CAT#: ISAT-14-S-0005
Soul Spectrum is:
Vocals - Lucius Clark
Keyboards, Arranging, Backing Vocals - Dane Urry
Guitar - Jules Figueroa
Bass - Andres Lopes/Kevin Reierson
Drums - Pietro D'Amato
All Music Written And Performed by Soul Spectrum
Produced and Recorded by Dane Urry
Cover Art by Lucas Gayda
Mixed by Patrick Brown at Different Fur Studios, San Francisco, assisted by Sean Paulson
Mastered by John Greenham (Infrasonic Sound Recording Co., Los Angeles)
Track credits:
"Cosmic Love"
Written and Produced by Dane Urry
Lead and backing vocals- Lucius Clark
Additional backing vocals- Blythe Klein
Electric Piano- Dane Urry
Bass and Guitar- Jules Figueroa
Drums- Pietro D'Amato
Tenor Saxophone- Willow Neilson
Trumpet- Rich Armstrong
"Not Reflected"
Written and Produced by Dane Urry
Lead and Backing vocals- Lucius Clark
Keyboards (Electric Piano, Clavinet)- Dane Urry
Drum Programming- Dane Urry
Bass- Dane Urry
Guitar- Jules Figueroa, Scott Hess
"Brand New Day"
Written and Produced by Dane Urry
Lead and Backing Vocals- Lucius Clark
Keyboards- Dane Urry
Drums- Pietro D'Amato
Guitar- Jules Figueroa
Bass- Andres Lopez
Tenor Saxophone- Willow Neilson
The latest from Saskatoon bassist vbnd is full of smooth, smoldering funk songs, powered by his strolling bottom-end melodies. Bandcamp New & Notable Feb 21, 2021