Love Is The Answer presents a thali-like succession
of jazz-inflected hip-hop flavours cooked up by the
likes of Sa-Ra, Madlib, Daedalus,
Jay-Dee and others. The project was initiated and organised
by Carlos Niño, one half of Ammoncontact. Trible
himself is a jazz singer little-known outside a small
circle of initiates, although his career has included
work with the likes of vibist Bobby Hutcherson and saxophonists
Pharaoh Sanders and Charles Lloyd.
Blast Off sets the scene by swirling sung quotes
from A Love Supreme into a near-psychedelic
storm. Equipoise stirs a weird mix of ingredients
including seventies disco/funk (think Roy Ayers), hip-hop,
jazz and electro. Trible’s voice is located somewhere
just behind the music and this conveys the impression
of somebody struggling to be heard. It’s a strange
affair that, after a number of listens, has refused
to settle into place – yet there’s a nagging
feeling that it just might at some future point. Freedom
Dance is less chaotic, featuring as it does bouncy
bass, flickering beats and groovy Fender waves. Again
Trible’s voice refuses to occupy centre stage
– not necessarily a bad thing, but the effect
remains unsettling. The realisation begins to dawn that
the odd element is the voice itself, at least for this
listener. Its tone lacks clout, the necessary oomph
to persuade. This may be attributable to production
values, but it doesn’t help. The Rhythm
improves things somewhat, by reining in the backing,
but then Waves Of Infinite Harmony returns
to the neo-psychedelic leanings of previous tracks.
In fact it proves to be the strongest piece so far,
awash with queasy analogue synths, clattering drums
and hip-hop ghosts.
It is difficult to draw a bead on Love Is The Answer.
Perhaps there are no easy answers (apart from the titular
one). Fans of seventies soul-oriented jazz by the likes
of Pharaoh Sanders, Doug Carn, Andy Bey or Alice Coltrane
should certainly check it out, as should fans of Ammoncontact,
cLOUDDEAD and its
Anticon affiliates. This is potentially a grower, but
for this listener it is still unclear whether persistence
will necessarily pay dividends. Best to check the samples
on the Ninja Tune site. Whether smorgasbord or cook’s
muddle, if you’re unsure about Trible’s
vocals they’re mostly excised on the accompanying
instrumentals disc. These versions reveal the richness
of the productions on show.
Colin Buttimer
Love Is The Answer 3 / Love Is The Answer Instrumentals
3.8 |
