Time: 46:25
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2021
Styles: Blues, Soul, Funk
Art: Full
01. Tell Mama (3:33)
02. Sugar Hip Ya Ya (3:22)
03. Spy Me (4:02)
04. My Life (5:55)
05. Full Time Job (3:27)
06. Yes We Can Can (3:48)
07. Let It Rain (5:38)
08. Don't Fall For Love (3:58)
09. Get It Right (3:44)
10. Get Style (8:54)
When you first experience the British Jamaican singer-songwriter, producer, and radio personality Dionne Bennett, one of the first words that comes to mind is powerhouse, defined as a person or thing of great energy, strength, skill, and power. It is no wonder producer, songwriter and artist Little G Weevil assembled a muscular wrecking crew of the best players for her new album Sugar Hip Ya Ya released on Hunnia Records.
The ten-song collection covers all Afro-culture music genres from jazz to R&B, soul, reggae, funk, rock ‘n’ roll and beyond with a sound that leaps out of the speakers like Blood Sweat and Tears meeting the Red Hot Chili Peppers at Stax Records in Memphis for a supersonic soul party. Recorded in Budapest Hungary with local musicians - Laszlo Borsodi on guitar, Attila Herr on bass, drummer Lajos Gyenge and keyboardist Matyas Premecz - who are augmented by the Jambalaya Horns: trumpeter Tamas Sovari and Zoltan Albert on sax. Little G Weevil adds his acclaimed lead guitar and vocals to the mix of eight original numbers he wrote or co-wrote for the project and two classic cover songs that showcase every aspect of Bennett’s expansive dynamic range.
The chart topping 1968 hit for Etta James, “Tell Mama (3.39),” is a bold choice to open an album and Bennett and company do not fail to deliver by recreating the fire of the original Muscle Shoals’ recording. The title track, “Sugar Hip Ya Ya (3.22),” celebrates the voice of a strong independent woman over a heavy swinging groove. A thundering beat from Gyenge kicks off the jagged funk rocker “Spy Me (4.02),” before the sultry one drop infused “My Life (5.55),” embracing Bennett’s island roots. She salutes receiving her life’s calling to be a singer on the rowdy gospel fueled “Full Time Job (3.27).”
Allen Toussaint’s freedom song “Yes We Can Can (3.48)” is given more of that Stax Records treatment with greasy clavinet, fiery horns, and Bennett channeling Mavis Staples. Dubstep influenced “Let It Rain (5.38),” samples the voice of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., from his “We Shall Overcome” speech, with the southern influenced R&B licks of Little G Weevil and Bennett’s caressing vocal. The duo also issued a call to stand up against racism, writing “This song cannot be more accurate. Speak up against racism and social injustice!”
The dramatic torch song ballad, “Don’t Fall For Love (3.58)” has strains of Billie Holiday and Carmen McRae and is a modern twist on a traditional form. Bennett encourages us all to do better on the thumping track “Get It Right (3.44),” that features a wicked solo from Laszlo. Everyone shines on the Budapest-Goes-To-Brooklyn anthem “Get Style (8.54);” the musicians trading solos and Bennett leading a sing-along house party to close out the set. The collaboration of Dionne Bennett and Little G Weevil for Sugar Hip Ya Ya began as a guest spot on his project and blossomed into her full-blown album that is destined to bear fruit for years to come. ~Rick J Bowen
The ten-song collection covers all Afro-culture music genres from jazz to R&B, soul, reggae, funk, rock ‘n’ roll and beyond with a sound that leaps out of the speakers like Blood Sweat and Tears meeting the Red Hot Chili Peppers at Stax Records in Memphis for a supersonic soul party. Recorded in Budapest Hungary with local musicians - Laszlo Borsodi on guitar, Attila Herr on bass, drummer Lajos Gyenge and keyboardist Matyas Premecz - who are augmented by the Jambalaya Horns: trumpeter Tamas Sovari and Zoltan Albert on sax. Little G Weevil adds his acclaimed lead guitar and vocals to the mix of eight original numbers he wrote or co-wrote for the project and two classic cover songs that showcase every aspect of Bennett’s expansive dynamic range.
The chart topping 1968 hit for Etta James, “Tell Mama (3.39),” is a bold choice to open an album and Bennett and company do not fail to deliver by recreating the fire of the original Muscle Shoals’ recording. The title track, “Sugar Hip Ya Ya (3.22),” celebrates the voice of a strong independent woman over a heavy swinging groove. A thundering beat from Gyenge kicks off the jagged funk rocker “Spy Me (4.02),” before the sultry one drop infused “My Life (5.55),” embracing Bennett’s island roots. She salutes receiving her life’s calling to be a singer on the rowdy gospel fueled “Full Time Job (3.27).”
Allen Toussaint’s freedom song “Yes We Can Can (3.48)” is given more of that Stax Records treatment with greasy clavinet, fiery horns, and Bennett channeling Mavis Staples. Dubstep influenced “Let It Rain (5.38),” samples the voice of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., from his “We Shall Overcome” speech, with the southern influenced R&B licks of Little G Weevil and Bennett’s caressing vocal. The duo also issued a call to stand up against racism, writing “This song cannot be more accurate. Speak up against racism and social injustice!”
The dramatic torch song ballad, “Don’t Fall For Love (3.58)” has strains of Billie Holiday and Carmen McRae and is a modern twist on a traditional form. Bennett encourages us all to do better on the thumping track “Get It Right (3.44),” that features a wicked solo from Laszlo. Everyone shines on the Budapest-Goes-To-Brooklyn anthem “Get Style (8.54);” the musicians trading solos and Bennett leading a sing-along house party to close out the set. The collaboration of Dionne Bennett and Little G Weevil for Sugar Hip Ya Ya began as a guest spot on his project and blossomed into her full-blown album that is destined to bear fruit for years to come. ~Rick J Bowen
Sugar Hip Ya Ya MP3
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