Journey To The Cosmic Soul
Self-Released, 2020
8/10
Listen to Journey To The Cosmic Soul
A New York ensemble with an aptly titled album, Lady Moon & The Eclipse make great use of this double album by exploring their varied textures that traverse plenty of retro ideas with some very agile and dynamic instrumentation on hand.
“La Petit Prince (Part 1)” gets the listen off to a groove filled start with some cosmic soul in the throwback psychedelic opener, and “Shine” continues the playful setting with a highly melodic nostalgic tune of crisp percussion and pretty female harmonies.
A lengthy effort with 16 tracks, the outfit don’t ever tread the same ground twice, as “Look Up” gets dreamy in an almost gospel sense, while “Star Gazing” finds a funky place to reside with smooth vocal work amid a firm beat. “Vibration”, the longest song at 7 minutes, then takes nods to R&B as well as soaring world music as horns add much to the rhythmic template.
Deep album highlights include the adventurous and atmospheric “Emotional”, and “Augmented” manipulates space well with a stylish delivery of organ friendly friskiness. “La Petit Prince (Part II)” exits the listen with similar grooves to the first track, where soothing vocals pair well with the infectious environment.
A very striking listen that benefits greatly from strong production, too, expect plenty of rhythm and soul to invade the funk, Afrobeat, R&B and moments of spacey sounds that are never short on culture or intrigue.
Travels well with: Deltaphonic- The Funk, The Soul & The Holy Groove; Lake Street Dive- Free Yourself Up