Marta Ren & The Groovelvets - Stop Look Listen (2016)

Tracklist:

01. Don't Look (4:16)
02. Release Me (4:27)
03. I'm Not Your Regular Woman (2:42)
04. Smiling Faces (4:26)
05. 2 Kinds Of Men (4:08)
06. It's Today (3:01)
07. I'm Coming Home (3:19)
08. Be Ma Fela (2:43)
09. Let's Talk About The Kids (4:47)
10. So Long (5:42)
11. I Wanna Go Back (3:23)
12. Hit Me (4:22)

[quote]The debut album by the Portuguese singer and her band is one of the most convincing modern reinterpretations of classic soul and funk in the style of the late 1960s and early 1970s. The album was released in 2016 on Record Kicks and quickly attracted the attention of retro soul fans across Europe.
The sound is based on tight funk grooves, a powerful horn section, an analog soundscape and Marta Ren's captivating vocals. The musicians consciously draw on the legacy of artists such as Sharon Jones, Lyn Collins and Betty Davis, but they do so with sincere admiration, not as a museum-like reconstruction.

The recording sounds as if it had come out of the archives of a 1971 soul record: it is characterized by live drums, brilliant horns, a slightly rough analog sound and charismatic vocals. Despite all this, the material does not feel secondary or imitation, thanks to the energy of the performance and the high quality of the songs. Critics called the album one of the best European soul releases of the year.
The result is a sincere, high-quality tribute to the female artists who played a decisive role in shaping the classic soul and funk sound of James Brown's era./quote]