It’s time to get up and groove! Octave Records’ latest, Take a Look Around from bassist Seth Lewis, is an R&B-rockin’-jazz-influenced album that pays tribute to legendary funk band the Meters, with some Sly and the Family Stone, Dr. John and even Burt Bacharach and Hal David added to the musical mix. This one will get you moving, thanks to the in-the-pocket drive of Seth Lewis’s electric bass, accompanied by Octave Records’ favorite drummer, Braxton Kahn, along with Dave Devine on guitar, Octave main man Tom Amend on piano and organ, and soulful vocals from Aleik Maddox.
Octave Records’ state-of-the-art Pure DSD high-resolution recording process is the ideal way to capture the power and interplay of Seth Lewis and his musicians, from the deep and articulate foundation of Lewis’s bass to the dynamic impact of the drums and the distinct textures of Amend’s piano and Hammond B-3 organ and Devine’s electric guitar. Vocalist Aleik Maddox has an undeniable presence and grit.
Take a Look Around was recorded by Paul McGowan at Octave Studios, with McGowan and Callum Blair as mixing engineers and Paul and Terri McGowan the executive producers. The album was recorded using Octave’s Pyramix Pure DSD system, to deliver the extraordinary clarity, spaciousness and musical realism that distinguishes every Octave Records production. The album was mastered using a PS Audio PMG Signature DAC and preamp and mixed on PS Audio’s flagship Aspen FR30 loudspeaker, a state-of-the-art monitoring chain that ensures every nuance and detail of the recording was faithfully captured and reproduced.
Seth Lewis. Courtesy of the artist.
The opener, Dr. John’s “Quitters Never Win” has a groove that doesn’t quit, setting the tone for the rest of the album. When Aleik Maddox sings, you can believe what he’s saying. With stabbing guitar and a rock-solid electric bass bottom, the album gets off to a flying start. The Meters’ instrumental “Funky Miracle” shows why they were unstoppable, and so is Lewis and the band and their air-tight ensemble playing. Another Meters song, “I Need More Time,” is fueled by Amend’s Hammond lush organ playing and the relentless syncopation of Kahn’s drumming. The Meters’ “Pungee” cools things down with a blues-based instrumental that gives guitarist Devine plenty of room to stretch out, and their “Ain’t No Use” is the definition of soul, Meters style.
Sly and the Family Stone’s “Sing a Simple Song” is tailor-made for Seth Lewis and the band to cover – it’s impossible to miss with a song with a bottomless groove like this, and vocalist Maddox brings a fresh take to the tune and simply owns it. Dr. John’s “Stealin’” has a bluesy R&B feel, while the title track, “Take a Look Around” has the band locking into a unison riff that shows why the Meters were among the founding fathers of funk, and Seth Lewis and the band are worthy successors. The album closes with – yes – the Burt Bacharach and Hal David standard “The Look of Love.” In order to cover a song that dozens of others have, you need to bring something new – and Aleik Maddox sings it with singular style and passion while the band simmers underneath.
Take a Look Around features Octave’s premium gold disc formulation, and the disc is playable on any SACD, CD, DVD, or Blu-ray player. It also has a high-resolution DSD layer that is accessible by using any SACD player or a PS Audio SACD transport. In addition, the master DSD and PCM files are available for purchase and download, including DSD 512, DSD 256, DSD 128, DSD 64, and DSDDirect Mastered 352.8 kHz/24-bit, 176.2 kHz/24-bit, 88.2 kHz/24-bit, and 44.1 kHz/24-bit PCM. (SRP: $29.)
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