A review by Alexander Johannesen
Want to feel good? Want to tap those feet and whisk yourself away
to cheezy soothing jazz, then step right up! Italian multi-artist
Lord Bygon delivers a tune with a lot to it, some good and some really
well. Ok, what is the backdrop to this music? Well, through many many
years, before I saw the light of renaissance and baroque sacred music,
I spent all my time digging Ritenour, Fourplay, Urban Knights, anything
Steve Gadd, and anything else in that genre of music; light jazz,
sometimes funked up, sometimes eased for perfection, but always keeping
to the spirit of light, cheesy and easy to digest, at least to jazz
fans. Even old Quincy Jones and other rythm'n'blues heroes like the
Brothers Johnson contribute here, and maybe most importantly, my old
hero George Benson, stands as its godfather. Bring on the soothing
jazz chords, the funky drums, the laid-back singing and cheesy synth
and bass. Yes, do-be-doo in Italian, done just the way it is supposed
to be in most ways. Of course, I wouldn't rush out and praise Bygon
as a genius in anything special, but it is done well. Very well. Step
by step: He doesn't sing all that great, with a voice that a lot of
the time feels strangled and pushed, as if trying to do something
it isn't capable of. You know, when you sing in the back of your throat
instead of pushing with the tummy, straining the vocal bands to sound
"artificial". However, it doesn't make it sound bad and out of tune,
only stressed, which I feel shouldn't be there in a feel-good easy
tune like this. His tune is in fact quite good, as especially heard
through some cool choruses. The guitar and bass does what they're
supposed to do, without doing anything to try to surprise or wonder
me. That's okay; this music doesn't need it for your general pleasures
sake, but I still miss a little solo that grasps me, if not only to
point back to your heroes saying you can do it to. Oh well. The synth
is also just fiddling along, doing exactly what you expect it to do,
with the odd cheesy 70's riff thrown in. Nothing here either that
strives for anything. This is music in autopilot. Even those bits
that could have done exciting things, basically fiddles around the
main theme, repeating already known harmony and patterns. Where is
the exciting new ideas gone? But then, one could say a whole lot about
the drumming. Ah yes, that part of most music that is in neglect,
under-prioritized, under appreciated and never praised except by other
drummers. Well, this is praise; it is good stuff, done just the way
it is supposed to be. Here is pretty licks, steady hat's, funky rolling
tam's and otherwise intuitive and somewhat cool patterns, variations
that suits the tune, and overall a good and modern tuning. Too bad
the drummer isn't part of the group. What? Yes, the drummer is actually
not a part of the group. This is a drum-track mixed in, and it is
taken from another MP3.com project called "Real Drummer". And, to
be honest, this is a really cool idea, where Bygon has done the absolute
correct thing; if you haven't got a drummer, instead of making cheesy
(and almost exclusively crap electronic) drums, you borrow a drummer.
A very good initiative, here put to its test, succeeding very well
indeed. Finally, here are some words on the recording and overall
sound, which is good in general. There are always something to be
said about noise pr. channel, filters used for vocals, dynamic structure
for each instrument, how it was (or wasn't) mastered, and so forth.
Here we're not met with the highest degree of professionalism, but
it isn't all that bad either. It is, for this music where the nuances
aren't as important as the whole, quite good. Especially impressive
are the stereo-renderings of the drum tracks. Some vocals should be
softened, and my opinion is that the vocal tracks are the recordings
weakest link, and most other instruments sound chorused into the demographic
picture more than mixed in, but that could well be the MP3 compression.
Also, the mastering (or lack thereof) makes the tune sound a bit flat
and rumbling, but just a bit. All in all, this song left me in good
spirits. I liked it, and my love for Italian lyrics didn't do anything
to degrade it further. (Did I mention that my two biggest heroes of
all time is Claudio Monteverdi and Paolo Vinnacia, two Italians living
in two very different ages?) The feel and overall music is more important
than each part by its own, and hence, as a combined tune, this is
really cool stuff. It isn't burning whiskey, but then again, a caramel
milkshake like this you wouldn't pass by. Smooooth!
"BYGON FUNK" reviewed by Steve Wardale
I'd seen Lord Bygon circulating on the net for a good year before
I decided, after seeing his fabulous promo tips at the Javamusic forums,
to take the plunge and have a good listen to some of his works. Being
a bit of a funk fiend myself, I gave his latest tune, Bygon Funk,
a try... and what a suprise it was for me. The organ playing was a
nice change from the usual electric keyboards on most songs of this
style, and the music indeed sounded very 60's/70's lounge jazz style...
if it had been more bossa nova, I could easily have heard this in
an elevator! But this can only be a good thing, as the smooth vocals
blend seamlessly into the music, something alot of artists in this
genre have a problem getting right... Bygon however, has done it well.
The lyrics are in Italian, which adds a cetain mystery to the song,
and unless you speak Italian, you can relax to the soft crooning and
hamonic melodies. The song was well arranged, had some glorious drumming
by a mister John Zachary, which is a nice way to incorperate another
Javamusic artist into his works. All in all, a very good song, very
pop, nice and relaxing.
