U-Nam - The Love Vault (Future Love Part 2) (2019)

Doesn t seem that long ago that we were enjoying a new album from soul/jazz guitarist EMMANUEL U-NAM ABITEBOUL. Future Love was a classic guitar-led smooth jazz set and featured a new take on Luther Vandross Get It Right . That was followed by the single Soul Walkin a jaunty foot tapper that had only been available on Japanese versions of Future Love . Demand, though, was such that U-Nam has decided to make Soul Walkin a focus track on another new long player... The Love Vault . However, new isn t quite the right adjective. You see most of the cuts come from U-Nam s extensive archive (hence the album title) and he says that this has given him the opportunity to re-visit old friends and offer things that have been hidden away for far too long! The album boasts plenty of tight soul grooves like the aforementioned Soul Walkin ... things like Love Potion but there s plenty of variety. Amongst the highlights is a sweet Sexy Fresh a lush production that might call to mind some of Barry White s work with Love Unlimited. Hear My Dear (a nod to dear old Marvin) is another shimmering production with Magdalena Chovancova on saxes. There s also a couple of vocoded items and you can also enjoy U-Nam s recent high profile outing with James Day under the name JD s Time Machine. The track, of course, is Celebrate Your Body a big summer tune and great to have it on The Love Vault which is released on Skytown records on October 11th. --soulandjazzandfunk com

Fabulously funky. Hypnotically rhythmic. Soulfully Sophisticated. Those six powerful words alone could be the entire overview of this album. But that would be an injustice to the newest project from the genius guitarist, composer and producer U-Nam. Soaring from the success of his previous Billboard Top 25 Smooth Jazz album Future Love, U-Nam picks up where he left off and continues the unfinished work of this album s predecessor. The Love Vault, due to be released October 11 on this own Skytown Records label, was born out of U-Nam s vast collection of previously unpolished, unrecorded or archived songs in the musician s extensive arsenal of music. Amid his infectious guitar licks lies a hip and rich sound that is heavy on throwback funk influences. Sexy Fresh, the albums premiere release, emits a romance drenched vibe that is funky and alluring. Love Potion is an intoxicating concoction of guitar, unrelenting rhythm, and one of U-Nam s signature arrangement sounds, synthesized string accompaniment, yet another trademark of the retro dance groove. Applying the innovative technology of talk box and vocoder, U-Nam implements vocals on a couple of tracks, including Back Seat Lover ( previously recorded by Mayer Hawthorne). Uptempo, happy and addictively appealing, this particular track rates among my favourite on The Love Vault, and the backing vocals of Gennine Francis-Jackson infuse some soulful dynamics and depth. In what is an glaring tribute to the sound of soul music s legendary love walrus, Barry White, Hear, My Dear draws from the title of Marvin Gaye s late 70s hit Here My Dear. The amazingly talented saxophonist Magdalena Chovaancova fo the Euro jazz trio Threestyle lends her talent on this swagger filled groove accompanied by lush string arrangement and additional horn backing. Into The Night delivers an afterhours, fast moving cool drive down the strip on a summer night. Among the many admirable techniques of U-Nam s music is the meticulous arrangement and production expertise, and if my memory is correct, he ranks as the only artist I know that consistently employs strings and horn backing that delivers a multi layered and dimensional sound to his natural artistic brilliance. The Love Vault is unlocked and fully unleashed with a sublimely polished groove, and a sound that is contagious and uncontainable.