Kloud 9
Enjoy The Ride
2008 - Expansion
These guys have long since won a place in the heart of many soul lovers, especially here in the UK. This, their third release as a duo sees a smooth but not monotonous continuation of their previous albums and if anything the Duffie brothers expose more of their inner soul than before with some more acoustic edges, more of what I call layers, and angles which have been bubbling under the surface for some time. They invite us to 'enjoy the ride' and you shall certainly do so, that much I can promise. Kendall states that these songs represent passion, commitment and dedication from a man who lives and breathes music...well, he has the CD in a nutshell. Take the opening song, “Everything I Need”, for example which has some nice scratchy acoustic / Spanish guitar in it, adding hot sauce to a rumbling groove but not over-egging the pudding. It's still, somehow, a gentle groove and nothing too heavy. The same can be said of the lovely “Appreciation”which swirls around you like silk; a really lovely song and one to play on a warm day. I was particularly impressed with the upbeat “Never Give Up” which owes a lot to the vocal styling of Frank McComb than anything else. You will love this chunky, yet subtle, groove.
If you are a lover of soulful sax then you are advised to pay heed to the Mitchell Jones / Commissioned-ish “All That Matters” which is a bouncy groove with some interesting drum arrangements and freaky keys! Lovers of brass a la Incognito should zero in on “Grateful”, and the vocal refrains are almost in a Ronald Isley fashion too which is no bad thing. “Step” adequately describes itself; a miasma of flute and dancefloor grooves with some sweet, smooth vocals that are both rich and warm. I bet this would be top-dog up loud on a dancefloor! One of my instant 'YES!” moments came with the excellent “Can't Hold This Love”, a midtempo magical groove featuring not only a brilliant tune but also the super sexy vocals of Tamara Jones. This cut really does cut the mustard and any soul fan worth their salt would latch onto a copy of the CD for this track alone! “I'm Calling You” works well too and, again, features a guitar and nice bassline. A second “YES!” track is “To Have Your Love”...it's the subtle eerie keyboard tucked away in the background that gets to me. The title song is more of a breezy '70s affair with live drumming and real live flute courtesy of Althea Rene! It always helps having a flute on there! “Duffie's Theme” is a choice instrumental cut, and the infectious “Love's Just Better With You” (The Realm Vocal Remix)” is also included on the superb Togetherness 2008 CD...A classy set and let's face facts...it's Kloud 9...I'm already won over!
Barry Towler
