23 Nov 2024
Sola Rosa - Get It Together review
11 Apr 2009 // A review by lukefitzmaurice
There is something irresistibly funky about this album, and it hits you within seconds of pressing play. The opening track, The Ace of Space, has a kind of Ocean’s Eleven quality to it, and as I listened to the rest of the album I never really shook the feeling of being engrossed within a Las Vegas casino heist. Later in the piece I felt a little less Danny Ocean and a little more James Bond with tracks like All You Need and the aptly named Bond Is Back, and later still I felt as though I was in a South American jazz club sipping on cocktails as I listened to Del Ray. Needless to say, Get It Together is a very cool album, in every possible sense of the word.
However, whilst I found myself getting easily carried away with movie analogies, I must be quick to point out that this album has value well beyond simple soundtrack status. What truly sets Sola Rosa’s latest offering apart is the immense diversity it contains, and the way Andrew Spraggon manages to transition seamlessly between tracks influenced by jazz, funk, soul, hip hop, dub, and countless other genres. This may give the impression that the album lacks any flow and continuity, but somehow this is far from the case. Personally, I was not a big fan of the more hip-hop based tracks such as Love Alone and I’ve Tried Ways, but despite my hesitations I never really felt as though these tracks detracted from the album as whole.
For me, the crowning achievement of the album was the way strings and brass sections were dominant in so many tracks, a factor which probably contributed greatly to the James Bond feel to the album that I mentioned earlier. The soulful contributions by Iva Lamkum and Bajka were also highlights. To be honest my biggest disappointment was that this album wasn’t released in time for summer, as it would have made great listening on a sunny January afternoon. Its now mid-April, and for the most part the sun has disappeared, but the summery sound of Get It Together seems to be making a valiant attempt at bringing it back. One thing is for certain, Andrew Spraggon will never fail for lack of effort.
There is something irresistibly funky about this album, and it hits you within seconds of pressing play. The opening track, The Ace of Space, has a kind of Ocean’s Eleven quality to it, and as I listened to the rest of the album I never really shook the feeling of being engrossed within a Las Vegas casino heist. Later in the piece I felt a little less Danny Ocean and a little more James Bond with tracks like All You Need and the aptly named Bond Is Back, and later still I felt as though I was in a South American jazz club sipping on cocktails as I listened to Del Ray. Needless to say, Get It Together is a very cool album, in every possible sense of the word.However, whilst I found myself getting easily carried away with movie analogies, I must be quick to point out that this album has value well beyond simple soundtrack status. What truly sets Sola Rosa’s latest offering apart is the immense diversity it contains, and the way Andrew Spraggon manages to transition seamlessly between tracks influenced by jazz, funk, soul, hip hop, dub, and countless other genres. This may give the impression that the album lacks any flow and continuity, but somehow this is far from the case. Personally, I was not a big fan of the more hip-hop based tracks such as Love Alone and I’ve Tried Ways, but despite my hesitations I never really felt as though these tracks detracted from the album as whole.
For me, the crowning achievement of the album was the way strings and brass sections were dominant in so many tracks, a factor which probably contributed greatly to the James Bond feel to the album that I mentioned earlier. The soulful contributions by Iva Lamkum and Bajka were also highlights. To be honest my biggest disappointment was that this album wasn’t released in time for summer, as it would have made great listening on a sunny January afternoon. Its now mid-April, and for the most part the sun has disappeared, but the summery sound of Get It Together seems to be making a valiant attempt at bringing it back. One thing is for certain, Andrew Spraggon will never fail for lack of effort.
About Sola Rosa
With seven full-length albums, four EP's, a handful of hits, countless collaborations and numerous world tours, it’s been a 20-year labour of love for the man behind the music, Andrew Spraggon.
And although it’s punctuated with twists and turns in the form of constant change and innovation, one thing has remained the same – Spraggon’s steadfast commitment to making great albums that seamlessly blend a myriad of genres, from hip-hop and jazz, to neo-soul, latin and funk.
Visit the muzic.net.nz Profile for Sola Rosa
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