I’ve never been one of those people who is always listening to music. Outside of dance, music isn’t a focus. In the car, or on the bike, I’m usually plugged into an audiobook. And when I want to listen to something to divert me from some boring desk work, I’m often at a loss as to what I like. I usually pull up Amazon Music and poke through my music saying to myself “I like this .. don’t I?”
Well, sometimes I’ll come across an artist and the whole obligatory mindset around listening to music goes out the window. It’s easy .. it’s, essentially … me. Tonight something reminded me of Incognito, the British funk/jazz group that helped keep me going after my divorce in the mid-90s. Then I noticed Amazon pointing me to a couple of solo albums by the group’s leader, Bluey. The first of these wasn’t released until eight or so years ago, and I had never heard him on his own.
They’re an uneven trio of albums …Leap of Faith, Life Between the Notes, and Tinted Sky … but each has at least a handful of songs that either got me completely revved up (“You Are the One”) or brought me to tears with their soulful beauty (“Saints and Sinners”). His sound is similar to Incognito’s but his wonderful husky voice is front and center here, and there’s a driving beat to many of the songs which is new.
How can I characterize this sound? It reminds me of an urban overcast day. It’s moody, melancholy, positive, soulful, sophisticated. It fills my heart. Incognito, Bluey, the George Benson of “That’s Right,” Roy Ayers … there’s something in the music of these artists that I can’t put my finger on, but which moves me like no other.