★★★★★
Royal Family There's something to be said for playing from the soul, and jazz troupe Soulive most certainly say it, both loud and clear, on their latest release Spark. A 4-track EP that runs longer than many full lengths, Spark brings together Soulive's intrepid trio with flautist/saxophonist Karl Denson. Over two days of recording, these seasoned musical veterans conjured the smoldering instrumental vibes of early 1970's soul-jazz legends...
- www.relix.com
2012-06-21
★★★★★
With the opening number "Reverb," Soulive makes it clear that Break Out is indeed a break from their previous albums, highlighting a new sound less centered on Neal Evans' keyboards and much more on Eric Krasno's guitar and on the group's horn section (provided by longtime collaborators Rashawn Ross and Ryan Zoidis). While it may be argued that this is downplaying the most distinctive element of the Soulive sound, it certainly provides a more muscular feel to Break Out...
- www.soultracks.com
2010-12-07
★★★★★
Don't even bother arguing with me, boys and girls. Just finish reading this and then go out and procure (support your local record shop!) your own copies of THE TOP THREE BEATLES' COVER ALBUMS OF ALL TIME. Here we go, in order of release: McLemore Avenue (1970) - Good ol' Booker T. & The M.G.'s get the job done with taste, respect, and vintage coolness. Most of the music here is jammed out over three medleys with a stand-alone version of "Something" thrown in to boot...
- glidemagazine.com
2010-11-02
★★★★★
Damn, those funky fellows and creative cats in Soulive must be the epitome of creative artistic freedom. Whether funking things up with the original funk collective Lettuce, releasing solo albums, heading their own recording label and studio, or jazzing it up as Soulive, they've always done things their own way...
- www.popmatters.com
2010-11-02
★★★★★
The trio Soulive has the kind of groove-centric sound that you'd imagine goes over quite well with traditionalists as well as a young, hip crowd. Featuring organ, guitar and drums (and horns occasionally), and deftly mixing jazz with soul and funk, their sound calls to mind a Starbucks-saleable Booker T. & the MG's with a hip-hop edge. That sound has won them fans and a wide range of collaborators that includes Brooklyn rapper Talib Kweli and jam-band king Dave Matthews...
- popdose.com
2010-09-25
★★★★★
Track Listing: Drive My Car; Taxman; In My Life; Eleanor Rigby; I Want You (She'sSo Heavy); Come Together; Something; Revolution; Help!; DayTripper; While My Guitar Gently Weeps. Personnel: Eric Krasno: guitar; Neal Evans: piano, organ; Alan Evans: drums. Style: Jam Band Soulive has experimented in many directions during the course of its decade- plus career, so it's only natural that the group would eventually go back to the basics, and that's exactly what it's done with Rubber Soulive...
- www.allaboutjazz.com
2010-09-14
★★★★★
Soulive Breakout Concord Records 2005 Soulive is nothing if not a young jazz band of the people, playing on the road constantly, interacting with audiences graciously and regularly hosting musicians on stage and on tour. Yet this trio adamantly refuses to release albums that merely reflect its live act, which is a generously funky mix of pure improvisation over deep grooves seasoned with old-school soul, R&B;, and contemporary beats...
- www.allaboutjazz.com
2010-08-20
★★★★★
Track Listing: Up Right; The Swamp; Too Much; Backwards Jack; PJ's; Tonight; HatTrick; For Granted; Prototype. Personnel: Alan Evans: drums; Eric Krasno: guitar; Neal Evans: keyboards; NigelHall: vocals; The Shady Horns: Sam Kininger: alto saxophone; RyanZoidis: tenor saxophone, alto saxophone. Style: Funk/Groove In a very real sense, Up Here is the perfectly appropriate way for Soulive to celebrate a decade together...
- www.allaboutjazz.com
2010-08-20
★★★★★
On its sophomore outing, Next (Blue Note 7243 5 35869 2 8V; 68:42), groovemeisters Soulive dip into the hip-hop pool while still pledging allegiance to soul-jazz. Guitarist Eric Krasno has still got his Grant Green-Wes Montgomery mojo working. Organist Neal Evans continues to layer on splashes of B-3 in the tradition of role models like Charles Earland, Jimmy McGriff and Jimmy Smith, and his brother, Alan Evans, is still kicking like the funky drummer he is...
- www.jazztimes.com
2009-11-06
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