Vintage League Music all star compilation ‘Family Album Vol.1’
From the USA comes this star-studded album from the Vintage League Music label, featuring all new music from various VLM artists and extended family that cannot be heard on any other release, making this a treasure trove of contemporary funk and soul. The album was mixed, mastered and overseen by acclaimed multi-instrumentalist and producer Alan Evans, co-owner of the VLM label and best known as co-founder and drummer of soul funk legends Soulive.
Opening up the album is “Hey!” by Natural Soul feat. Matt Schofield, a blistering uptempo funk boogaloo track, with in the pocket grooves driven by Alan Evans on drums, the Hammond organ of Darby Wolf to the fore and highly acclaimed guitarist Matt Schofield on electrifying lead guitar. Next up is BT ALC Big Band featuring keyboard maestro John Medeski (of Medeski, Martin & Wood) on “What Will You Do”, a groovy, horn-led, uplifting soul-jazz number with overtones of Herbie Hancock.
London based funk soul band Crowd Company deliver “Silent City”, a hard hitting funk soul track featuring catchy hooks, punchy horns, strong vocals with lush vocal harmonies. While “High 45” from Alan Evans Trio and “Deep State” from OTS (On The Spot Trio) evoke cinematic landscapes blended with stylish psychedelic funk and both include the distinctive guitar playing of Danny Mayer who plays in both bands.
“Here With Me” by Alan Evans will be a surprise to many Evans fans. It’s an incredibly catchy and sunny song that is destined to be a modern day r&b / soul classic, with Evans also supplying vocals. “Helping Hand” by Jonny Trama & The B3 Kings feat. Jesse Dee and “A Little Bit of Sunshine” from Brother Goodlove conjure a Stax sound with evocative vocal performances.
This an album dripping with authentic soulful funk from some of the top artists on today’s modern funk & jam band scene. It’s also a fitting showcase for the quality music being released by the acclaimed Vintage League Music label which has quickly established itself as one of the top independent record labels on the modern funk and soul scene today.
It’s just year 1 and VLM has already firmly positioned itself as one of the most consistent contemporary funk & soul labels out there. Who knows what’s in store for year 2…
“VLM Family Album Vol.1” out on LP/Digi on Dec 17 via Vintage League Music
