The New Mastersounds (NMS) have been consistently pumping out great music and super groovy vibes for 25 years and their latest release “Old School” is a testament to their legacy. NMS are an all-time favorite of mine — their retro-soul-funk in the tradition of The Meters is timeless but always evolving. Over the years they’ve had songs and albums with vocalists such as Corinne Bailey Rae and Lamar Williams, Jr. They’ve also had many tunes supplemented with horns for added oomph. But there’s nothing quite like the core four on the floor of Eddie Roberts on guitar, Pete Shand on bass, Simon Allen on the drum kit and Joe Tatton on keys.
Their longevity naturally leads to an extraordinary tightness of their playing together, a telepathy between their interplay, and an individual prowess that defines the supergroup. Over the years, Eddie Roberts, hollow guitar rhythms are the most pronounced signature sound of the group. ‘Old School’ however takes a slightly different tack, shifting the focus onto the newest member, Joe Tatton on keys. That sounds a bit overstated since Joe joined back in 2007, but it’s indicative of the consistency of this prolific group.
‘Old School’ is heavy on the Hammond B3, and Joe has extraordinary chops that shine throughout. The album is different in that respect yet still has everything that’s great about NMS and feels fresh and new despite being ‘Old School.’ Let’s dig in track-by-track. [Note: Simon Allen’s commentary on each track added]
[I’ll be seeing NMS April 5 at Resonate Festival, April 11 at Brooklyn Bowl Philly, and April 12 and 13 at Brooklyn Bowl Brooklyn so may add to this coverage soon.]
Down on the Farm is the only ‘vocal’ tune on the album with the repeat, “What you say, what you do” bouncing back and forth with Eddie Roberts’ funky guitar twang and Joe Tatton’s punch back with the B3. Midway, Tatton takes the the lead on the tune with a few classic NMS short stops for Eddie’s guitar response. It has a classic NMS feel but starts the predominance of organ throughout the album. The tune is great for head bobbing and bouncing on your feet.
“A mid-tempo funk wah-wah trance groove which develops into an enjoyably silly game of stop-start question-and-answer back-and-forth between Joe’s Hammond organ and Eddie’s guitar.”
Boogaloo is Dead has a great drum and bass lead in before Joe and Eddie pop in unison with the main theme. Joe riffs off the main theme with the rest of the band riding along until about halfway when Eddie takes a classic solo. Joe takes the baton and rips a rollicking solo. Pete Shand’s bass is prominent throughout this tune purring like a hemi engine.
“It isn’t really, is it though? Or if it was, the lads have brought it back to life with this ditty in which Pete Shand does his best organ pedal impersonation on bass guitar, Eddie Roberts shreds dirty 16ths like Ivan ” Boogaloo Joe” Jones’ adopted son, and Joe Tatton pulls out all his drawbars and pushes them back in again.”
Breakfast T has an southern rock feel with strumming guitar and oscillating organ. Joe carries the main melody through the midsection with the rhythm humming smoothly along right to the fade out.
“A straightforward homage to Booker T & The MGs with a lighters-aloft anthemic groove that chugs along like a freight train.”
Smoothie bolts out of the gate with all four chugging along. Joe again plays the main melody with sustained organ chords. Eddie picks up an echo-tinged solo, mostly on the left channel and Joe comes back with the pulsing organ on the right channel. Simon and Pete nail the rhythm as they do, one of the baddest combos ever in this type of retro funk fusion band.
“Uptempo tambourine-driven souljazz somewhere between Boogaloo Joe Jones and early JTQ but with a much crunchier drum sound.”
Two Fat Ladies (88) is a slow roller with a Joe on the piano and Pete and Simon laying down a steady groove. The refrain has Eddie filling gaps between the keys and rhythm with tangy riffs. It’s a relaxed, mellow jazzy tune — excellent for a chill session.
“The title – a bingo-caller’s code – refers to the tune’s tempo of 88bpm. A languid two-bar funk groove is the bed for some spacious Dorian jazz piano meanderings from Joe Tatton.”
Do the Sausage Roll is one of the singles preceeding the album release and is perhaps the closest to the traditional NMS sound. It kicks off with a quick snare drum roll followed by an impeccable organ-bass groove from Joe and Pete. Eddie pumps out a guitar verse harkening back to the esteemed George Benson. Joe knocks out some super funky organ grooves as the centerpiece to this fabulous rolling ride. When Joe sets up the sustained organ wave, Eddie picks up with some signature flickin’ and pickin’. It’s why they’re an all-time FunkCity.net favorite.
“Someone needs to come up with a dance and call it the Sausage Roll for this to make any sense.”
In da Club lays down the funky bass groove at the onset. Joe and Eddie are playing off each other with Pete playing a funked up melodic bass line. In da Club hits with a mainstay of the NMS repertoire, the instant pause to highlight a solo, in this case Eddie’s guitar that closes the tune.
“More funky crunchiness, hypnotic one-bar James Brown guitar riffs punctuated by stops and a Duane Eddy twang. With piano on top.”
Buggin’ brings full-on reggae to the NMS sound, with some horn background calls and Eddie riffing some gliding guitar. It feels so much like the NMS personality with Eddie’s love of sailing and Pete’s familial ties to Jamaica. It’s another great tune for relaxing with your favorite intoxicant on the beach or out and about.
“Early-70s reggae with a studio one vibe and some suspiciously inorganic overdubs.”
Scrappy Doo‘s opening reminds me of the Blues Brothers intro every time I listen. It’s got that cruising down the highway looking for adventure feel. Eddie rips a blazing solo in middle of tune and Joe follows up with a heater of his own. It’s also got the first and only Pete solo on this album but his imprint is strongly felt on this tune and througout.
“Frantic, urgent, messy, scrappy, noisy nonsense.”
Till the Cows Come Home feels like a Meters tune, which is typical for an NMS album. Pete and Simon form absolutely one of the best rhythm sections on the planet — the breaks on this tune feature Simon’s grooves in great form. Joe takes control and leads us on a the smooth cruise with Eddie and Pete matching note for note.
If The New Mastersounds have a signature groove, it would be this sort of Meters-inspired mid-tempo malarkey, with its Ziggy-esque 4-bar drum break landing almost exactly at the halfway point to herald the statutory Hammond solo. They could play this kind of thing till the cows come home, which is to say (if you happen to be a dairy farmer): all day long.
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