A change is a good as a rest they say and Lack Of Afro has had both over the last couple of years: two years’ rest from being – er – Lack Of Afro while putting out soundtrack music under his own name, Adam Gibbons. Mind you, it’s not as if he didn’t need both – having suffered a marriage breakdown on the one hand and battled addiction on the other. So when he comes back with new LP Square One – you’d like to think that was ‘square one’ in the sense of starting afresh rather than in the sense of having made no progress. Let’s find out how he got on:
1. ENTER THE RING (feat. DJ Yoda)
Kicking things off with horns-n-scratch-drenched funky breaks and a boxing metaphor? Best bring something heavyweight. Yoda’ll do.
2. LET IT ALL OUT (feat. Wax & Herbal T)
That’ll be ‘let it all out’ as in, they thought you just went large but here’s this peak-time club banger when you really go large.
3. ALL NIGHT (feat. Jack Tyson-Charles)
Smoothy-chops JTC ensures the completeness of those late 70s soul vibes…
4. LOVING ARMS (feat. Greg Blackman)
…but here’s this LP’s second sucker punch as the soul emoting goes into overdrive…
5. YOUR LEAST FAVOURITE WONDER (feat. Dare Club)
…followed by a bit more emotion because we’re not done yet, so here’s the contemplative one.
6. WIDE OPEN
Now we’re done emoting – have some funk breaks and squalling guitar everybody, because break-ups are a bitch!
7. AMIGOS (feat. Too Many Ts)
Probably best to lighten the mood with an uptempo Mexican-themed groove and Too Many Ts, right? Right!
8. LOOKING AT THE LOVE (feat Greg Blackman)
Lyrically, this second outing from Greg Blackman is LOA’s I Will Survive over a funky disco-ish groove…
9. AUTOMATIC LOVIN’ (feat. HOLMES)
…annnd Ladies’ Night continues with this 70s-ish vehicle for HOLMES who goes head-to-head with Jack Tyson Charles for this LP’s smoothest vocal turn.
10. NOT FOR YOU (feat. Alyssa Marie & Jack Tyson-Charles)
Back to the hip-hop on this glorious summery groove adorned with bars by HOLMES…
11. BROWSING YOUTUBE
…just leaving time for this bass-popping funkstrumental…
12. GO FREE
…and a huge closing bit of Play-era-Moby style bit of breaks with a gospel-blues type vocal sample.
COMMENTS: Right, well that’ll be ‘square one’ as in starting afresh then. This is vintage LOA like he’s never been away. Let’s hope his private life’s looking equally healthy!
BEST TRACKS: Let It All Out, Automatic Lovin’, Not For You, Go Free
(Out now on Bastion Music Group)