ABOUT THIS ITEM

Ever since their first collaboration on the "Mocambo Funk Forty Fives" compilation, things have gained momentum for Gizelle Smith, the 'Golden Girl of Funk' and the much respected Hamburg-based live band the Mocambos. Their first single "Working Woman" became an overnight smash and a prime-time club favourite of funk and soul DJs from all over the world, with Kenny Dope picking it up for his own label Kay Dee label. Gizelle Smith & Mocambo now step up with a full-length album of bonafide sister funk. In these days of digital recording and Pro Tools editing, they show true exception to modern techniques and create their highly regarded, unique and raw soul sound, by making use of simple dynamic microphones and reel-to-reel tape machines. In a genre which is often littered with overused cliches of the past, the charismatic Gizelle adds a lot of her own flavour rather than slavishly copying icons of bygone decades. The result is a refreshing alternative to post-millennium plastic pop without being a mere retro rip-off. From the heavy and determined "Gonna Get You" to vulnerable, gospel-tinged laments such as "Coffee High", the album is just as deeply rooted in the music from the golden era of soul as it is a modern masterpiece in its own right. Blazing horns, soulful guitars, driving drums and basslines combined with Gizelle's gripping and powerful voice all weave together to create a long player that is varied and coherent at the same time.