Roughneck

Editor's info:
EDDIE ROBERTS new album combines firing hard bop, beautiful modal space and nu-jazz beats ..."Roughneck" is the long-awaited solo project from maverick British artist Eddie Roberts, founder and leader of The New Mastersounds, and celebrated UK guitarist, producer, writer & bandleader.

The album combines firing hard bop, beautiful modal space and nu-jazz beats to create a sound described by Parisian label Le Maquis as "St Germain with attitude". The album is a catalogue of musical exploration through 20 years of listening and playing. "Roughneck" features an inspired jazz version of Lose Yourself, by Eminem, from the film 8 Mile. Another highlight of the album is an original arrangement of the Stanley Turrentine classic, Sugar, featuring the silky vocals of Iain Mackenzie.

In May 2004 Eddie toured with sax legend Lou Donaldson, recreating his finest Blue Note recordings. Only the week before he was performing to packed audiences with the New Mastersounds at the House of Blues in Chicago. Eddie has worked with Mr.

Scruff on remixes of Ramsey Lewis "Do What You Wanna" for Universal, and John Arnold's "Inside"."Guitarist for The New Mastersounds, Eddie Roberts shines here on this smooth yet sizzling jazz album. A highly sought songwriter and guitarist in the UK, Eddie's mastered funk with The New Mastersounds and a myriad of jazz variations with numerous bands in his career. The sounds contained here draw heavily from past masterworks of jazz, but dub and dance elements make the affair a highly enjoyable one." Homegrown Music review"Though Roberts is undoubtedly a gifted soloist, the real strength of this album lies in the diversity of the writing and arranging on display. The title's aptly chosen, this is as far from smooth jazz as this kind of music gets. From the opening modal rush of the title track through to the nu-jazz dub hybrid of 'Diggin' Deeper', Roberts pushes the meters well into the red as he mixes real-time playing with bursts of samples and jumpcut editing, giving the music an immediacy and aggression that'll have you pricking up your ears and maybe even shaking the odd tailfeather or two.

Roberts' fluid, juicy guitar owes a lot to the likes of early George Benson, and by association the classic tones of Wes Montgomery, Grant Green and Kenny Burrell. But he's got an attack and bite that lifts him above the copyists, as well as a penchant for more exploratory, vaguely psychedelic playing, as on his tribute to the sadly neglected Gabor Szabo ("Szabo').

This is an unpretentious, well crafted slice of dancefloor jazz" BBCi review (UK)