Janet P. (nycnomore) from SCHUYLER, VA Reviewed on 4/21/2007...
cd itself lists the cuts on the album: there are 13.
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CD Reviews
Talkin' Loud, Playin' Fine
Honey | 11/07/1999
(5 out of 5 stars)
""You know it's true as trees are tall/ And autumn leads to fall/ Ooh, it sometimes rains in paradise/ And even the warmest heart can turn to ice." Kewl! I liked the way that flowed with the music. This is 'Positivity,' arguably Incognito's best album. Bluey pulls all the right strings on this one. You know, all of Incognito's albums have tracks that are uncontrollably melodic, meaning... they're not bland. Most of Incognito's tracks actually have some sort of consistency with being infectious in tune, quite like two other acid jazz bands- Jamiroquai & The Heavies. The best seem to come from England- that's kind of funny. They incorporate quite more than three or four repetitive, distinctive notes that comprise the tone of the songs. There's always a plethora of instruments striking the right keys and strings. Well, I dunno- I don't know much about music. But I do know that they don't just stay stuck in one genre of music, they branch off into sub-sections: jazz, r&b, funk, gospel. My favorite one is, hard to say, so I'll break it down into sub-sections. [Dance: "Step Into My Life"- some nice scatting/good movability ] [Jazz: "Inversions"-nice transitions in tone/cool horns] [R&B: "Still A Friend"- beaucoup de melody/nice lyrics] [Funk: "Talkin' Loud"- is okay, only because I'm not a fan of this type] [Latin: "Smiling Faces"- cool Stevie Wonder-sounding intro/nice scatting/good rhythm.] [Gospel: "Positivity"- this bears muchs resemblance to Sounds of Blackness' "Optimistic."] [Smooth jazz: "Deep Waters"- I heard this a while back, and never thought about getting this c.d.] I can't lie, I have never heard a bad Incognito song- you can put this in your Sony discman/Aiwa & let it spin from "Step Into My Life" all the way to "Keep The Fires Burning." Please get this jazz fans & anyone else who likes good music that can be played straight thru."
Still a friend of mine....
Honey | Heaven | 03/15/2005
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Even after all these years, this remains my favorite Incognito album...from start to finsih! Each and every song, jazzy, soulful, melodic, upbeat, downtempo, with meaningful lyrics! I still play the heck out of this CD...the uplift it gives is unbelievable... The best!"
Another fantastic release
kiwimuzo | Auckland, New Zealand | 12/16/2003
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Incognito make further progress with this album, moving on from the latin-influences of 'Tribes, Vibes and Scribes' into a more urban-jazz mode, with great success. Perhaps the best track to exemplify this is the semi-autobiographical "Talkin' Loud" (the namesake of their label). The baritone sax and other horn parts are truly awesome, drawing even closer parallels with The Brand New Heavies. As a whole, the album works really well - you will most likely play it often!!"
"Positivity" a major plus-sign for British funk outfit
John Jones | Chicago IL | 08/22/2000
(5 out of 5 stars)
"In the early 90's a British funk group called The Brand New Heavies hired a singer named N'Dea Davenport and gave her four songs to sing on their self-titled debut. After three of her four tracks became smash hits, the group realized they had a star on their hands, and for the album's follow-up there were only three tracks she WASN'T featured on. Another British funk outfit, Incognito, had a similiar revelation with Maysa Leak, as her soulful vocals -particulary on a brilliant rendition of Stevie Wonder's "Don't You Worry Bout a Thing"- provided the only bright spots (and hit singles) for the group's otherwise spotty "Tribes Vibes and Scribes" album. For 1994's "Positivity," a spotlight on Leak is the rule instead of the exception, and Incognito achieves greatness at last.What's most impressive about this record is the seamless blend of genres. The chords and progressions are often undeniably jazz, Maysa's vocals are of a classic soul variety (imagine a slightly subdued Chaka Khan), the rhythms keep the funk quotient high and the hooks are dying to create pop singles. The fusion is immediately noticeable on the album's opener, "Step Into My Life," an energetic piece that manages to make its repeated scat as catchy as its worded chorus. "Smiling Faces" also incorporates something of a Latin-flavored samba element to its jazzy scatted-verse, sung-chorus formula. Upbeat rhythms are of the majority throughout the record, and the percussion-driven "Givin it Up," the groove-heavy "Do Right," and the Mica Paris-flavored title track beg to be danced to the most. The James Brown-ish "Talkin Loud" is a rousing funk number with a singable chorus, and the midtempo "Still a Friend of Mine" is another winner that finds Maysa trading soulful vocal runs with duet partner Marc Anthoni. Meanwhile, two instrumentals show off the band's impressive chops and musical unity: the hypnotic ballad "Innervisions" has just as many stunning chord progressions as it does killer solos, and the mercilessly upbeat "Thinkin Bout Tomorrow" utilizes Incognito's horn section to its fullest potential. The crowning moment, however, comes on the fluid ballad "Deep Waters," which went on to become one of the band's biggest hits. The shuffling drum rhythms are classic Incognito, and a warm Rhodes keyboard and classy muted trumpet finish off the mood that Maysa's silky, enticing vocals sets in motion. This track makes for one of the finest moments in modern jazz. Following a handful of work that only skirted greatness, "Positivity" finds Incognito sure-footed on their artistic path, staking a claim as the Rufus of the 90's firmly, joyfully, and righteously."
Mainly terrific songs. Unique combo of soul/jazz/"funk"
yippee1999 | New York, NY United States | 12/02/2000
(4 out of 5 stars)
"This is a great CD to give as a gift, because it's very "likeable" without being too generic. From the first song (Step into My Life), which has a great soft-sorta funky beat, to Deep Water, which is sorta sultry, this CD has something for everybody. A very "sophisticated" CD to add to your collection."