Home » Jazz Articles » Album Review » Charlie Hunter: Songs From The Analog Playground
Charlie Hunter: Songs From The Analog Playground
Songs From The Analog Playground is Hunter's seventh for Blue Note records and his first to feature vocalists. The percussion-heavy disc follows Duo (1999) recorded with Leon Parker and Charlie Hunter (2000) an expansion with horns. Hunter reveals in the release notes that as a street musician, you either included a vocalist or went hungry. Analog Playground is certainly an admission that in today's popular music instrumentalist are fine, but vocals sell records.
The four singers that drop in take very different paths to their craft. Rapper Mos Def sings a soulful "Creole" and raps straight through the opening and most infectious track of the album, "Street Sounds,' which incidentally has no guitar part. Theryl de Clouet of New Orleans Galactic covers the Willie Dixon blues "Spoonful" and Earth, Wind, & Fire's "Mighty Mighty," coming straight out of a Tower Of Power record. Kurt Elling speaks/sings his way through "Desert Way" and sweep-sings across an all percussion take on the standard "Close Your Eyes." Norah Jones covers Roxy Music's "More Than This" and Nick Drake's "Day Is Done."
There are five tracks of Hunter's quartet (saxophone plus two percussionists) laying out jam-band fare that begs to be heard live. It seems popular jazz is not serious music these days as much as it is serious fun.
Track Listing
Street Sounds; Rhythm Music Rides Again; Mighty Mighty; Mitch Better Have My Bunny; More Than This; Desert Way; Run For It; Spoonful; Close Your Eyes; Percussion Shuffle; Creole; Sunday Morning; Day Is Done.
Personnel
Charlie Hunter
guitarCharlie Hunter ? 8-string Guitar, Pandeiro, Agogo Bells; John Ellis ? Tenor Saxophone; Chris Lovejoy ? Percussion; Stephen Chopek ? Drums, Percussion; Kurt Elling ? Vocals; Mos Def ? Vocals; Norak Jones ? Vocals; Theryl de Clouet ? Vocals.
Album information
Title: Songs From The Analog Playground | Year Released: 2001 | Record Label: Blue Note Records
About Charlie Hunter
Tags
PREVIOUS / NEXT
Charlie Hunter Concerts
Become a Sustaining Member
Since 1995, All About Jazz has championed jazz as an art form and supported the musicians who create it. Over three decades, it has grown into one of the world's leading jazz resources, serving hundreds of thousands of readers, musicians, presenters and industry professionals each month.
Help Build the Future of All About Jazz
Your support helps us continue building All About Jazz for the next generation—expanding our editorial coverage, preserving jazz history, developing new community features and creating better ways to discover the music and the people behind it.
Become a sustaining member for as little as $20 per year and you'll immediately enjoy an ad-free experience along with access to subscriber features and future articles for a full year.
Together, we're not simply sustaining All About Jazz—we're building its future. Thank you for being part of the journey.
