Posted on: October 14, 2011 Posted by: James McQuiston Comments: 0

The style of music that Scott Law comes up with during “Find Something Good” mixes swing, nineties R&B, gospel and funk to create something that has a palatable earlier influence. Without the 2005 tag on the disc, one could easily confuse this for something over fifteen years older. The production on “Deliver” seems unnecessarily muted; the jazz horns present on “Find Something Good” are really more anemic than they should be. The soul is still there but there seems to be a little haze placed over the more spontaneous sound of the instruments.

This problem is mirrored in the funky bass lines laid down at the beginning of “Soul Level”; what could be an orgasmic experience is unable to really inflame the hearts of individuals listening in. The only instrument that is able to really pierce through this haze are the drums; the sharp sound of each cymbal hit attacks the listener. Scott Law and eir band would succeed well in the live context, as tracks like “Soul level” have a tremendous amount of energy, easily noticeable even if structural factors hold it back from succeeding more in the studio. Including a very audible jazz influence for their “Good Egg”, the band shows that they do have the technical skill possible to wow individuals even when the vocalist is taking a break. There is still the muted sound here that plagues the rest of the tracks on “Delivery”, but the nuanced sound of the track shines through.

This track looks so consistently back to the seventies that it would not be unfounded to conceivably hear this original composition on a movie set during that period. The drawn-back sound of “Carry the Stone” allows Scott Law to come up with some of the most catchy vocal tracks on the disc. The music does tend to fall into disrepair in more than one section of the track , but the Scott Law Band stays away from that issue for practically the majority of the track. The extended instrumental interludes are not quite as fitting as they could be; what would make more sense is to shorten and speed these up, to keep up with the frantic energy that Law puts forth here. Honestly, this would typically not be an album I’d pick up, but the ability shown by the entirety of the Scott Law Band really endears them to me. Give this a shot.

Top Tracks: Carry the Stone, Soul Level

Rating: 6.4/10

[JMcQ]

Scott Law Band – Deliver / 2005 Liquid City / 10 Tracks / http://www.scottlawmusic.com / http://www.liquidcity.com / Reviewed 12 November 2005

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