El Michels Affair: Sounding Out The City Vinyl LP

Full length offering from the Big Crown (Soul Fire) in-house boys, compiling all their previous 7" only singles (but not that one great 12, you gotta hunt it down yourself) plus about 6 brand new tracks. These guys are honest-to-goodness talented, and not just in the "good at aping a sound" way that most of their counterparts seem ok with flaunting. The songwriting is really strong and their output happily jumps through straight funk and soul cuts like "Detroit Twice" and "Too Late To Turn Back," slow jams like "Behind The Blue Curtains," latin edged pieces like "El Pueblo Uneido" and more, which gives you a very thorough and not at all boring listen. Love the move of closing out the album with a cover of Ike Hayes' "Hung Up On My Baby" too (yes, the song sampled for "Mind's Playin Tricks On Me"). For me, this is the pinnacle of the new soul/funk sound, and an excellent choice to cop on long player. 11 tracks.

• black vinyl pressing
• music label: Big Crown 2016

reviewed by the mgmnt 11/2005

.