Acid Jazz Schallplatten & CDs

Review: The jazz and broken beat revival continues apace as we race through 2019, so original pioneers of the sound are rightly coming back into focus. Enter the Brand New Heavies, one of the key acts of the mid-eighties who sound as good on this brand new album as ever. It's littered with funk-licked pop, crystalline acid jazz and singalong songs that range from tender ballads to soaring soul. Angie Stone, Beverley Knight and other vocalists lend their tones along the way, but importantly TBNH is not a revival or self-satisfied celebration. Instead, it feels like a forward-looking and accomplished album that takes the band in subtle new directions.

Review: The UK has had many distinct and hugely influential different musical scenes and acid jazz back in the late 80s and early 90s was one of them. Brand New Heavies were right at the heart of it. Their Original Flat album from 1994 very much captures the best of that time - coming of course on Acid Jazz Records - and to this day is a superb fusion of energetic jazz and retro funk with big hooks and great vocals. This reissue comes on limited white vinyl and includes material from before their seminal, self-titled 1990 debut.