The confinement and the lack of concerts has seen some professionals in the entertainment industry take their leave against their will, two years ago. On the other hand, this gloomy period has also allowed many artists to free up time and new opportunities to create, compose and return to the pleasure of playing music. This is how the new jazz fusion group Strange Lab came to be.
We talk about Jazz fusion, but in reality, this term proves to be somewhat limiting as the four musicians like to mix genres and travel between atmospheres, whether it is in jazz, but also rock and blues. Beyond the plurality of styles, this record sounds like an album heir to the sounds of the 80's. Olivier Gadet confided to us his love for the great guitarists of the decade like Steve Lukather, Eric Clapton, David Gilmour and many others. It is thus a jumble of these influences that we find as a red thread throughout the ten tracks, explaining the title given to this album.
Musically, considering the influences, the result is necessarily very rich. Greg Aguilar at the piano offers interventions often very inspired even brilliant ('Burning Waltz', 'Today's Mood'), Olivier Gadet proposes very well felt guitar sections (the themes of 'Burning Waltz' and 'Womanhattan', both excellent) and soli perfectly proportioned and full of feeling ('Womanhattan', 'SL Blues'). Overall, the tracks are quite colorful, like the bouncy 'John From Dayton' with its groovy bass, or 'Billy's Beard' and its stoner sounding guitar. But in a more melancholic and slow register, 'Black Flamingo' remains a must, reminding David Gilmour, with there again a very beautiful guitar and a jazzy piano always very right.
As often, the best records are generally those that we didn't expect. Within these "Influences", it is an experience and an unstoppable touch which emerges from the whole, giving the desire to listen to this disc again and again. Let's hope this is just the beginning of the Strange Lab adventure!