Texas Sun＜Orange Translucent Vinyl/限定盤＞

The formulation of this short romantic detour from Leon Bridges and Khruangbin began, appropriately enough, on the road. After the fellow native Texans toured together, Khruangbin -- a trio of instrumentalists who mix deep soul, funk, and rock with grainy, psychedelic finesse -- recorded a track they thought would suit Bridges, an old soul with a fresh and personal perspective on traditional R&B. They met up in Houston and knocked out four songs with Bridges always at the fore, a change for the band who have previously used vocals only for shading. They begin by unfurling a couple lazing grooves. The singer shifts from a getaway proposition on Texas, twanged out more than anything on the two proper Khruangbin LPs, to an idyllic reminiscence on Midnight, where the band enhance the mood with a sensitive touch. On C-Side, Laura Lee switches it up with a bassline that bounces not unlike the one Nathan East played to propel Dennis Edwards Dont Look Any Further, with Bridges set aloft by his melanin lady. Conversion, a redemptive ballad, slows it down as Bridges sings of newfound clarity, but the effect of his well-matched partners work is only a little less intoxicating than it is on the preceding numbers. ~ Andy Kellman

いずれもテキサス出身となるエキゾ・ファンク・バンドと新世代ソウルマンがコラボEPをリリース。地縁に終わらぬ共通項を探るかのように両者が辿り着いた表題曲は、郷愁を誘うカントリー・ソウル調のナンバー。他にもタイ・ファンクの幻惑的なサイケ感と雄々しい歌唱フロウの融和がマーヴィン・ゲイっぽさを醸し出した"C-Side"など、この組み合わせならではの妙味に溢れた楽曲が並ぶ。続きをもっと聴きたくなる4曲入り。
bounce (C)轟ひろみ