Jazzy chords with Motown’s beats are always a winning formula, you just can’t go wrong with that, never in your life. Xylophones plying with pentatonic melodies, soulful voices, and pretty great keyboard licks resume this EP.
A Los Angeles based artist, Soul Unreal is a pretty cool project that will keep you moving your head the entire album. You know when something has a groove to it; you just feel it on top of your head and then going directly through your neck. You just can’t stop feeling like the coolest guy in the room when you hear this Soul Therapy EP. It made me go to the piano and jam along the tracks, this EP has some groovy beats that reminds me sometimes of what Steve Jordan did with John Mayer, and it definitely just make the EP a better listening experience.
Despite all the coolness, however, sometimes you can get lost and forget if it is just a 10 minute jam session or not. Overall, the band could have done a better job with the last 4 tracks on the record. It is the risk you take when you decide to record an 98% instrumental soul/jazz/hip-hop EP. I would have loved to hear a lead voice singing or rapping on top of the tracks, it would have taken the production to a whole new level. In fact, I started hearing some voice melodies in my head when I heard the EP and when that happens that is always a great sign. It shows that those songs are well written and you can jam or add something new to them.
The Chronicles of Akil Batiste:
This is what this EP should be all about, it is the best produced song on the album and has an amazing keyboard work. They really should be making more songs like this or at least work with this direction, it is what they do best.
Smoked Out
And this is what I was saying about a feel of an unfinished jam session. I think some artists have to be more careful when choosing the arrangements so that the song feels more like a finished product and not just a demo. All in all it still brings forward a great beat.
Smooth EP.
8/10
Track Listing:
1. The Chronicles of Akil Batiste
2. 1993
3. Interlude Thru
4. Smoked Out
5. Serenity
Related Links:
ben on Bandcamp
ben on Bandcamp