Artist: Native
Title Of Album: Going With The Flow
Year Of Release: 2011
Label: Nature Bliss
Genre: Jazz / Other
WebSite: myspace.com
Tracklist:
1. Ritmo De Esperanza [05:43]
2. Still [05:01]
3. Ground Entrance [04:22]
4. Melancholy Smile [05:07]
5. Summer House [03:45]
6. Going With The Flow [05:07]
7. Savanna [04:47]
8. Still Macrophage lab. (HIEI dub house remix) [06:55]
native have been part of the club jazz scene for about a twelve years now, with several well-received albums under their belt and numerous guest appearances at popular club events such as Bebop Square and Afrontier in addition to their own extensive touring. They're now back with a new album barely a year after the internationally released Possibility. Going With The Flow, sees the band back on Nature Bliss, the same label that issued their Just Four album back in 2008.
The album opens with the delightful Latin-tinged rhythms of Ritmo de Esperanza, a tune that deserves its place in the canon of native classics. It's a tune that will go down well on the dancefloor and has a catchy refrain that stays with you after the track is over.
Next up is Still, a pop tune aimed at the adult market with guest vocals from Medby. The melody is fine, but it's more of a cafe or lounge tune than a club number. "I miss you and your warm touch and sweet voice" laments Medby but in a voice lacking in emotion.
The tempo picks up with Ground Entrance, one of the more aggressive tunes on the album that has a modern feel to it that conjures up images of fast city life. Melancholy Smile is a self-explanatory reflective ballad, while Summer House is a great uplifting tune that features Tomoyoshi Nakamura on flute.
The title track is a catchy enough tune with a poppy and stylish feel to it, and somehow feels like an ending theme or a reprise of an unfeatured first part, and so would perhaps have been better as the final track on the album. However, it is instead followed by the jazzy stylings of Savanna, not the most instant tunes, but one of the most rewarding listens on the album with some great soprano sax work from Nakamura.
There's a dramatic shift of tone next for the macrophage lab. ∈HIEI dub house remix of Still, and the electronic club vibes of this remix seem to suit Medby's vocal performance better than the original.