Lizzy Parks - Raise The Roof

01. Raise The Roof 02. Take Care 03. Time 04. Soul Bird 05. Spring Changes 06. Seven Day Fool 07. Forever And A Day 08. I'm All That 09. Ode To St Cecilie 10. Leaving Home 11. Prayer (CD/LP) Tru Thoughts TRUCD169, 2008-09-22 Band Members : Lizzy Parks - Voice Ben Lamdin (Nostalgia 77) - producer Ross Stanley - Piano/Keyboards Fulvio Sigurta - Trumpet/Flugal Riaan Vosloo - Double Bass Graham Fox - Drums Press Release : "Lovely Lovely LOVELY! Will playlist this on the radio. A great release" - Laurent Garnier "A work of art – with its dense, panoramic and majestic soundscape" - Blues & Soul 'Raise The Roof', Lizzy Parks' debut album on Tru Thoughts, is a euphoric, original and unforgettable introduction to one of the most talented and distinctive singers of the moment. Deftly produced by Ben 'Nostalgia 77' Lamdin and with rich, dramatic orchestration from Riaan Vosloo of the acclaimed Nostalgia 77 Octet, 'Raise The Roof' embodies Lizzy's fresh and modern personal twist on the singer-songwriter tradition, encompassing elements of various styles from retro jazz and boogie soul to ambient experimental music. The expansive, multi-layered groove of the title track - out as a single on 11th August - has won radio play and support from Laurent Garnier, Gilles Peterson (BBC Radio 1) and many other DJs and tastemakers including Snowboy and Pete Isaac (Jelly Jazz). The album is built on stunning live musicianship and sumptuous strings combined with a traditional approach to recording, using vintage instruments and microphones, and Lizzy's amazing voice full and vibrant at the front of the mix. Lizzy's distinctive style may be familiar to Nostalgia 77 fans as she and Lamdin have worked together several times over the years; notably their first collaboration was "The Hope Suite" which Lizzy co-wrote and sang, and which was nominated for Track of the Year in Gilles Peterson's BBC Radio 1 Worldwide Awards. Lizzy explores the full reaches of her beautiful voice with the perfect combination of skill, natural intuition and passion, to conjure up a new and refreshing experience with each song. A '60s rhythm and blues vibe kicks in with the second track, "Take Care", and the languid "Time" takes things in a whole different direction, with an eerie, ever-spinning sense of space that required a different mindset when recording: as Lizzy says, "Where I'd usually be stood belting it out a foot away from the mike, this track needed an intimacy and closeness that came from sitting quietly, eyes closed." 'Spring changes', arguably the 'jazziest' tune on the record, has a straightforward jazz structure and rhythm section, horn and voice line up. The rolling, bluesy lyrics talk about getting so stuck in the rat race that you stop noticing the real changes in life. Lizzy's version of the old R&B song "Seven day fool", which was famously recorded by Etta James in 1961 and describes the stereotype of a woman who'll do anything for her man, is followed swiftly by its antidote in the form of "All That", a super high-speed swing number with the line "I'm all that, and a bag of chips" - from the point of view of a woman who is too good for her man and tells him so. Nostalgia 77's influence is evident in the groove and horn riffs, and Lizzy pulls off some tongue-twistingly fast phrases with old-school charm and style. "Prayer", last here but definitely not least, is a virtuoso vocal journey through an orchestral landscape of great proportions, and is the B Side to the digital release of the debut single. 'Raise The Roof' marks the first time that Ben Lamdin has produced a solo LP for another artist and this record is set to bring Lizzy Parks' extraordinary talent into the limelight once and for all. Another rising star who recently featured alongside Lizzy on the latest Nostalgia 77 LP was then-little-known Beth Rowley (Universal) - just before she hit the big time with her top 10 debut album earlier this year. An engaging and charismatic performer, Lizzy is the live chanteuse for the Nostalgia 77 Octet and has worked with many other great musicians including The Heritage Orchestra (Brownswood) and Chris Bowden (Ninja Tune). http://www.timec.net/truthoughts/ An incredible set of funky soul from Lizzy Parks -- a UK singer who works partly in the deep funk territory of other artists on the Tru Thoughts label, but one who also has a more sophisticated side as well! Parks gets some great help here on the album from Benedic Lamdin and Riann Vosloo of the Nostalgia 77 camp -- the former on production, the latter on arrangements and bass work, both elements that really help the album shine! There's a rich, warm feel to the whole set -- but an undeniable groove too -- that blend of jazz and funk that you might find in the work of Elizabeth Shepherd, but with a different feel here, as the group's larger -- with some key horn parts, a bit of organ, and even some strings too. The sound is rich and full, but with a lean sensibility throughout -- and the set features titles that include "Raise The Roof", "Take Care", "Time", "Soul Bird", "Ode To St Cecile", "Forever & A Day", "Spring Changes", and "Seven Day Fool". © 1996-2008, Dusty Groove America, Inc. Link

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