Too many artists are happy to not only look to the past for inspiration but to also repeat and revive those sounds as a pastiche or wholesale steal, resting on the sonic laurels of others rather than creating a name for themselves. The great thing about “How To Love,” the new single from Manchester based Secret Night Gang, one of the many great things, is their ability to be inspired by the past but in a way that seems to stimulate their own imagination and creativity.
Again, unlike many artists of the modern age, they draw inspiration from any number of genres rather than just homing in on one sound. This is why we find so much going on in “How To Love.”
For every slice of golden age soul and free-jazz flight of fancy, there is a brilliant contemporary neo-soul and eclectic R&B groove. For every scintillating echo of past glories, there are three or more touches that indicate just how forward-thinking this band truly is. Not for nothing has this duo already received the prestigious Breakthrough Act of the Year at the 2021 Jazz FM Award and garnered praise across the music press in general.
And the message is simple, as Kemani Anderson’s mellifluous vocals tell us: relationships are tricky, love is complicated, and it is only when we are able to accept both the good aspects and the imperfections in people and find someone willing to do that in us, that love can truly flourish. It’s that easy! It’s that difficult!
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