★★★★★
The band name trioVD may stand for 'Valentine's Day', but don't expect a soundtrack to a romantic night in. The trio's first disc Fill it Up with Ghosts?splattered the jazz world with blasts of thunderous musical bombardment, leaving listeners both shell-shocked and exhilarated. And moving beyond the rock leanings of jazz bands such as Acoustic Ladyland or Get The Blessing, this Leeds-based trio's new disc continues to raise the jazz bar, by borrowing from the high-speed delivery of heavy metal...
- www.classical-music.com
2013-06-28
★★★★★
Bay Area combo , led by Frankie Beverly, had released four albums by the time it was decided to capture the group's infectious live show on record. Their message of global love and unity, so apparent in studio work, worked wonderfully on the road, leader Beverly cast in the role of a travelling preacher with his committed choir. New Orleans falls quickly under the group's spell: "I know y'all can sing," the frontman cries, continuing: "This is the place, y'all...
- www.bbc.co.uk
2013-04-23
★★★★★
It has long been argued that Maze, so vibrant and enthralling on stage, never made a truly definitive studio album. The band, the brainchild of multi-instrumentalist and composer Frankie Beverly, came closest on this, their third album. The group were formed in Philadelphia in 1970 as Raw Soul, by Beverly, a veteran of doo-wop groups from his early teens. Relocating to San Francisco the following year, Marvin Gaye became their champion and took them out on tour with him...
- www.bbc.co.uk
2010-08-22
★★★★★
With their fourth album, Joy and Pain, Maze and Frankie Beverly once again went gold with little or no support from pop radio. One of the band's most celebrated releases, this classic soared to the top of the R&B; charts thanks to such hits as "Southern Girl" and the haunting title song (which, in 1988, rapper Rob Base would use without Beverly's permission)...
- music.aol.com
2008-08-28
★★★★★
Maze and Frankie Beverly had a lot to live up to when the time came to record a second album, and while Golden Time of Day isn't quite as strong as their magnificent debut, it's nonetheless an excellent soul/funk offering. Disco was still incredibly popular in 1978, but it had little impact on Maze, which continued to avoid disco's hyper tendencies and favored a comfortable, more relaxed soul groove instead...
- music.aol.com
2008-08-28
★★★★★
In 1989, many of the soul and funk bands that emerged in the '70s had either broken up or disappeared from the charts. But Maze featuring Frankie Beverly was not only hanging in there -- it was still selling a lot of albums. Released in 1989, Silky Soul was yet another big seller for Maze; it was also the band's first Warner Bros. release (after more than a decade at Capitol). On Silky Soul, Beverly favors a more high-tech production style than he had in the past...
- music.aol.com
2008-08-28
★★★★★
When other 1970s R&B; veterans were heavily incorporating elements of hip-hop and new jack swing in the hope of remaining competitive, Maze featuring Frankie Beverly flat out refused to change. Their roots were Philly soul and Marvin Gaye, and they weren't about to pretend otherwise. The stick-to-your-guns approach had made Silky Soul both a commercial and artistic triumph, and it's also a major asset on Back to Basics...
- music.aol.com
2008-08-28
★★★★★
Arguably Maze's best album, hands down, Inspiration lives up to its grandiose title. Frankie Beverly's compositions are executed to perfection by the seven-piece Maze ensemble: Atigunta Sun (drums), Wuane Thomas (lead guitar), Sam Porter (keyboards), McKinley Williams (vocals and percussion), Roame Lowry (vocals and congas), Robin Duhe (bass), and Frankie Beverly (rhythm guitar and lead vocals) -- the originals...
- music.aol.com
2008-08-28
★★★★★
The 1985 gold-selling album from the band fronted by Frankie Beverly encompassed a strong group of songs. The first release was an energized song of reclamation, "Back in Stride." Laid down in a funky groove accented by frigid strokes of the keyboard, the single strutted its way straight to the top of the charts for two consecutive weeks. Maze kept the rhythm going with the release of "Too Many Games...
- music.aol.com
2008-08-28
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