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Mr Day is known as the singer of French jazz combo Metropolitan Jazz Affair, the main singer in The Dynamics, for his Electro-Soul records released on indie label Rotax, as well as his superb featurings on productions by Boozoo Bajou, Patchworks and Mr President! Favorite Recordings is now soon to release Small Fry, Mr Day's much anticipated first solo album.
The first track alone gives a great view of what this album has to offer: Tears of Joy sounds like The Who playing in hommage to Smokey Robinson! That's the direction Mr Day has taken for this album, a record full of pure soul music, from as suave as can be to edgy and raw, but always with the elegance Mr Day carries so uniquely, making him the most British of dandies on French soil.
The album was recorded live with the musicians Mr Day tours with: drummer Rémy Kaprielan, Raphaël Chambouvet on keys, and his constant accomplice Patchworks on bass who also produced the record in the warm and vintage style he's known for.
Small Fry evokes classic soul music, from Curtis Mayfield to Motown, and from Northern Soul to West Coast, without being a specific genre album. The musical style is vast and replete, but the composition and production manage to never fall prey to shortcuts or repetitiveness. Patchworks has said that he wanted the album to be " as deep, ambitious and complete as possible, to equal Mr Day's immense talent ".
The tracks take us from softness (That's How I Feel About You, an irresistible ballad) to tenseness (Tears Of Joy and Heaven Knows are each a perfect blend of power and melody). Songs such as Precious or Soul on Wax are proof of Mr Day's great writing talent - like the greats of Motown did, he enthralls listeners with authentic soul music. The three covers glide over the terrains of elegant pop with Dusty Springfield's Spooky and rugged soul from the south with Sebastian Williams' Get Your Point Over, and even glam ock with T Rex's Get it On, interpreted here with a west coast sound reminiscent of Steely Dan. Both Sides, an infectious folk ballad along the lines of Nick Drake and John Martyn is a beautiful finish to a wondrous album. |
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