This editorial dedicated to putting the spotlight on artists who create amazing music but always seem to fly under the radar for most dance music lovers. With so much great talent nowadays it's easy to miss out on the many musicians who may not appear on the mainstage but always deliver a headliner performance. This weeks Under The Radar artist is Crazy P.
Walk Talk Dance Sing
Even though they've been around since the mid 90s, Crazy P (which stands for Crazy Penis…seriously) feels more relevant than ever with their latest full length effort, Walk Talk Dance Sing. For the most part, the group's style has remained unchanged and still delivers their funk, disco, house hybrid in an enjoyable, easy listening package.
The deep house influence is expressed a bit heavier than their previous releases and while the album is not as energetic as most of its peers, the organic sound and naturally catchy hooks make the album extremely listenable. That's not to say that WTDS isn't danceable, not at all, but with the integration of live instruments, Crazy P totally steers almost entirely clear of electronic sounds, with the exception of a couple synths in the tracks “Echo” and “Witch Doctor”. The funky guitar licks lead most of the housier tracks like “Come On”, “Scrap The Book” and “Hear My Song” which shows the band doing what they do best, but just when they it starts to feel repetitive, the mellower songs like “Cruel Mistress” and “Something More” add wonderful, nu wavey flavor and are actually some of the more memorable tunes on the album.
Crazy P's singer, Danielle Moore, whose been with the group since 2002, continues to soothe with her very mature and relaxed vocal style. Even when she's loosing her head as she pleas in “Cruel Mistress' or recollecting fond memories in the title track “Walk Talk Dance Sing”, she never sounds too distressed or profound, and although her range isn't much to gush about, her voice is classy, soulful, and successfully adds emotion while maintaining the carefree vibe of the music. The one track Moore shines the most however, is the melancholy, downtempo, “The Way”, is a beautiful piece that's alot more introspective than most of the record and sort of the album's token ballad.
WTDS probably wont grab you immediately on the first go, maybe not even the 2nd, but when you put aside your expectations for speaker bumping house music, you can appreciate the record's true charm. There's not a single unfavorable tune in the bunch and tracks are simply well written. It's deep disco that does a great Job at adding depth while staying fun, and while no particular song stick out too much, the album as a whole comes together quite nicely in a way that even house music haters can't help but appreciate.
Favorite Songs
- Cruel Mistress
- Something More
- The Way
8/10
