Gideon King & City Blog

City Blog are a cool jazz rock fusion band that hail from NYC, summoned and conducted by the irrepressible Gideon King – a man with unrivalled knowledge of innumerable music genres and an endless wealth of connections to the finest musicians in the world. Utilising that hefty contact list of valuable phones numbers, King has produced this self-titled studio album that is an immersive experience presenting both the chic and hustle of The Big Apple from a born and raised inhabitant of its metropolis.

This eclectic fusion has no less than 14 contributors, many of whom are notable names within the music industry such as Daft Punk’s bassist, James Genus, and Carolyn Leonhart who is a frequently called upon and invaluable member of Steely Dan’s vocalists, to name but two. King himself not only leads the way organisationally, but also musically adding lead electric, acoustic and synth guitars into the melodious mixture.

The end result is aural manna; a 10-track collection of chilled-out songs steeped in sophistication and sensuality. Notably, while there are numerous individual instrumental elements in each song, they blend naturally to give this album a deceptively minimalist sound. There are no off-key notes or clashing compositional choices, just an effortless and exceedingly good chemistry despite there being several cooks in the kitchen, so to speak.

Drawing on the likes of Donald Fagan, John Scofield, Steely Dan and Stevie Wonder, there’s a healthy respect for classic jazz rock and blues. Given the resurgence and evolution of such genres in the past couple of years, once could even argue that albums such as this one provide a virtuosic freshness in a tech-centric music age as evidenced by today’s pop charts with the likes of Daft Punk, Pharrell Williams and Mark Ronson doing so well.

King actually borrows the band members of some of the aforementioned bands to aid him in exacting his vision. This fortunate position allows the ensemble to quickly identify what King was aiming at and to execute it freely.

Add a captivating blend of graceful lyricism and powerful vocal performances that take the album to another level. This is probably an album that could work without vocal accompaniment but, as long as the words are meaningful and emotive, then they’re a necessary component. Songs like the frostily named ‘Dirty Bastard’ and ‘New York Is’ express the unique attitude of the big city thematically, even utilising some of their colloquialisms for authenticity. And they’re not afraid to satirise their environment either – a trait that is indicative of New York’s self-deprecating charm. The lead vocalists – a position shared amongst several of the members – are expressive yet never overwhelming, the harmonies are tight, and the backing vocals swan balletically in and out of the songs to help smooth the edges of the sharp lyrics.

City Blog’s self-titled album can be considered as both thought-provoking muzak to detoxify life rather than just make your elevator or shopping journey chirpier, and one worthy of gracing jubilations. It wouldn’t sound out of place amongst family at a get-together or in a swanky bar full of young professionals. Not bad for a former hedge fund manager!