The Players Club [Release date: 19.01.24]

Robby Krieger and The Soul Savages live up to their name by occupying a groove filled musical arc that conjoins a soulful feel with jazz, funk, fusion and psyche jam band influences.

You could argue with the band name The Savages, as this quartet is far more subtle than either wild or frightening. Indeed, it’s the essential organic feel of the album that makes it more interesting than just another jam night at The Baked Potato.

And while the former Doors guitarist provides an array of tonal colours, he always serves the song while leading an intuitive and at times inspired band.

Everything is built on a groove foundation full of breathless interplay and sparkling solos, helmed by the supreme rhythm section of rock solid bassist Kevin ‘Brandino’ Brandino and the relentless drive of drummer Franklin Vanderbilt, who push guitarist Krieger and keyboard player Ed Roth to the max.

This allows the quartet to consistently tap into the moment to see where their spontaneity takes them.

Aside from the grooves, the key to the instrumental album’s sonic appeal is the subtle use of tonal contrast. This is exemplified by Robby’s use of both jazzy and slightly distorted tones, as well as a sitar and even a Hawaiian sounding slide. Keyboard player Ed Roth also explores the full girth of his Hammond and the hypnotic dream like qualities of the Fender Rhodes.

It’s also an album that places the guitar, Hammond and electric piano-led instrumentation in its historical jazz and blues antecedents, such that when they allow the funk and fusion influences to bubble to the top, they have the basis of an old school album played with verve and élan.

That said, musical virtuosity and intensity alone, don’t necessarily make for a great album. So they sensibly opt for a mid-70’s jazz fusion feel, in which the ‘call and response’ interplay between Krieger and Roth on ‘Killzoni’ for example, monetarily evokes Chick Corea’s Return To Forever.

And as if to emphasize their versatility, the intricate ‘Samosas And Kingfishers’ delivers a late night jazzy feel on which Krieger’s resonant sitar tone finds the perfect foil in Roth’s organ, via several tension building moments as they work their way back to the theme.

The band sets out its musical direction on the opening ‘Sharp Skinned Suit’, a luscious groove with a layered sound that still gives Krieger plenty of room to utilize his tone colours.

The band coalesces seamlessly with the only disappointment being the sudden fade just as they are going into overdrive.

Things get funky on the lead single ‘A Day In LA’, which is glued by together by Brandino’s funky bass and is punctuated by a mix of cowbell, organ stabs and piecing guitar notes, leading to some exotic sounding slide.

There’s a lovely counterbalance of a funky undertow with a lightness of touch on the excellent ‘Ricochet Rabbit’. Krieger’s nimble fingerwork evokes such players as Wes Montgomery and George Benson, leading to Roth’s full blown jazzy piano solo either side of Krieger’s varied tonal explorations.

The tic-toc percussion, fretless bass and languid organ lines of ‘Never Say Never’ is different again, with an eerie layered sound with castanets and funky electric piano, while Kreiger fiercely solos with a growled and slightly distorted tone.

It’s on tracks like this where you hear the band’s subtle use of space, time, precision and intensity, with each member coming to the fore like waves on a shore and then receding again into the arrangement.

As with all instrumental albums, you have to work hard to keep the flow and momentum going until the very end, and the band just about achieve this by contrasting the sludgy heavier funk opening, swift tempo changes and a mid-shuffle break of ‘Blue Brandino’ with the more up tempo angular jazzy feel of ‘Math Problem’.

The latter provides an organ led meandering bookend to an otherwise concise and ebullient album. ****

Review by Pete Feenstra

Featured Artist: JOSH TAERK

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