Unmasked Recordings (label)
28 May 2012 (released)
14 June 2012
Soul band New Street Adventure are most definitely something new to the ears.
It’s not often that a genre such as soul is not only revived but also brought up to date. This is exactly what the EP ‘Say It Like You Mean It’ does.
Only formed in 2010, Nick Corbin (Lead singer) has transformed a small three-piece group into a super-synced group of 9 very talented musicians.
From the first track ‘Hangin’ On / Hangin’ Up’ the sounds come as a huge surprise. It begins with a distinctive Stratocaster sounding guitar part, setting the feel of the EP as an easy to listen to contemporary soul journey.
The vocals on the first track immediately draw the listener in - what a unique voice. Soul may have had its peak in other places and eras but Corbin’s ability to remain true to his own voice and not imitate previously successful soul singers is very refreshing. This is perhaps one of my least favourite tracks on the EP solely because this release is genuinely a set of five solid songs.
The second track on the EP is ‘On Our Front Doorstep’. This is a very clever and relevant song, and after all, isn’t relevance a big part of music? This song is a reflection of the 2011 riots in the United Kingdom and maintains a depoliticised literal view of the entire situation.
“Just a broken hearted nation, brought to its knees”
The topics in this song range from the UK’s economic state to the “mob” of looters, to name a few. It’s definitely one of my favourite tracks and I think it’s only more appealing that this song struck a current problem and didn’t just tackle the same usual love/relationship content that a lot of music is based around today.
The instrumentation is second to none on this EP and that is definitely a sign of quality. The entire layout of the release is so natural that even upon the first listen the listener feels like they know what’s coming next. Essentially this is like one big soul jam, except the vocals tell a constantly changing story, whilst maintaining catchy choruses.
Not only has this EP been crafted to make much new ground musically, it is also extremely well-produced and mastered. There's so many strong points throughout this EP and very few negatives. My only real problem with this release is that perhaps it can be a little too easy to listen to, by which I mean it can blend easily into the background for hours on end. To be honest I can't say that I mind at all, although I can imagine it could be difficult to differentiate between songs sometimes, as they all seem to flow as one.
Listen to this one for sure, it's a great EP and it's going to be very exciting to see what comes next from the likes of Corbin and his inspiring soul revival.
