Space Motel - Arrival (Self-Released)

Space Motel is a Rock and Soul quartet hailing from Providence, Rhode Island, replete with heartfelt vocals and a smokey horn section Stax would have envied. Although the band includes a rotation of specialized guest musicians (including current lead singer of P-Funk, Garrett Shider) the core of Space Motel remains Jim Muro, Willie Myette, Zach Paquette and Nate Davignon. Their debut album Departure was released in 2015 after seven years in the making. Thankfully for the band and their fans, their follow up Arrival took only two years this time, yet it still sounds as meticulously crafted and genuine as the first.

The majority of Arrival ranges from mid-tempo classic soul to funkier fare—the former ultimately more prevalent and successful than the latter which has a tendency towards the Red Hot Chili Peppers on songs like “Backwoods.” The torch songs and ballads here are first rate, however, from the slow-burning “Don’t Lean” to the stripped-back hymn-like quality of the title track. The band does manage to verge into more up tempo, yet equally as melancholy, territory on the album closer “It’s Not Over,” which features some fantastic guitar work. Arrival doesn’t show a tremendous amount of growth in Space Motel since their last full-length, but it does show them just as strong with no sign of slowing down.