There is something wonderfully timeless and yet timely about the sound of Kerbside Collection: music that reminds us of our favourite funk and soul moments while still feeling forward-thinking and on-the-moment. Nowhere is this more obvious than on Cue Blue, their fifth album, which sees them reconnect with the musical foundations upon which they first made their name.
Drawing on the spirit of early recordings such as Mind The Curb and Night in Tunisia, while building on more recent sonic directions of travel, the album embraces the honest and authentic sound of classic jazz-funk, rare groove and soulful New Orleans rhythms, plus, of course, no small amount of fresh sounds and contemporary vibes. All genres need to move with the times, but that doesn’t mean that you abandon the past. Cue the Blue captures that evolution at the perfect pace; this band knows where the music has been but is more interested in where it goes next.
An instrumental ensemble from Brisbane’s inner suburbs, Kerbside Collection clearly understands the appeal of the old-school approach, drawing inspiration from such icons as The Meters and Boogaloo Joe Jones, Melvin Sparks and Billy Butler. This is gritty jazz-funk, rustic soul, and blues-infused groove music, complete with a generous sprinkling of faithful, finessed sixties and seventies flavours.
‘Shivers’ sets the tone perfectly: a weave of subtle, smooth and shimmering guitar licks; fluid, florid bass lines; energetic drums; and warm waves of brass, while ‘City Park Avenue’ heads straight into classic New Orleans funk territory, with brass stabs and soars against strutting funk grooves. ‘Air Head Boogaloo’ is infectious to the point that it stares you out until you bend to its will and hit the dancefloor, and ‘Sittin’ On The Porch’ takes a more leisurely detour into the Southern blues tradition mixed with more than an echo of south of the border sonic sass.
Much of the album’s material was penned by relatively recent recruit, guitarist Tyler, whose playing will thrill fans of Mingus / Davis wingman, John Scofield, and under his guidance Cue The Blue becomes an album whose songs walk that perfect line between adventure and expression, precision and playfulness.
Cue Blue celebrates classic sounds with confidence, personality, and plenty of musical finesse, but rather than resting on laurels and replaying past glories, it sounds less like merely what has gone before and more like a torch carried confidently into a bright, funky future.
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