On this second album of original material, Karl continues where his debut 'Dissident' left off, venturing ever deeper into the uncharted territories of solo bass and bass-led compositions. This time around, his reach is wider, ranging from the melancholic jazz waltz of 'Like Tears In Rain', through the angular proto hip-hop of 'Chromatica' to the adrenaline-fuelled jazz-funk of 'Rainmaker', and taking us on side trips through Brazil and Africa in world music influenced tracks such as 'Milagre' and 'Le Zoulou Blanc'.
And his palette is more varied as, alongside his distinctive Bogart bass tone, we hear him taking out the piccolo bass and a tenor bass, often accompanied by the mercurial soprano saxophone of regular collaborator Bertrand Huvé, even bringing in a full horn section for one song, and with envigorating contributions from Ciaran Storey on guitar and Richie Dittrich on drums.
Credits
All music written by Karl Clews, except track 1 written by Karl Clews and Mark Farrelly, and tracks 10 and 15 written by Karl Clews and Andrew Collins.
Mixed and produced by Karl Clews. Drum engineering on tracks 2, 5 and 8 by Richie Dittrich.
All instruments by Karl Clews, except; saxophones by Bertrand Huvé on tracks 2, 4, 6, 8 and 11; saxophone by Adam Daniel on track 8; guitar by Ciaran Storey on tracks 5 and 14; and drums by Richie Dittrich on tracks 2, 5 and 8.
Album artwork by Karl Clews