Joey Negro - The Secret Life Of Us Album Review

Dave Lee aka Joey Negro releases his forth Sunburst Band album 'The Secret Life Of Us' on Z Records. An established producer, DJ and contributor to the boogie, funk, disco and jazz scene, this UK lover of music is certainly recognised and respected. He is the brains behind The Sunburst Band that he produces and writes the tracks for with the help of Diane Charlemagne who co-wrote most of the songs. This production is a family affair with an array of truly talented artists featured on the album. The anticipation of 'The Secret Life Of Us' resulted in their first release, 'In The Thick Of It', going to number one in just four days of release on Traxsource.

So how is this fourth release? I was very much looking forward to hearing this album having seen The Sunburst Band live and truly enjoying some of their earlier releases. There's no denying the sophistication of this passionate ensemble of musicians; with its history of contribution to the UK soul scene, it was anticipated they would deliver some quality songs. As you'd expect, the arrangement is tight, well-produced and there are some great vocal performances. The musicianship is excellent with subtlety, precision execution and serious groove! The influences of their music is quite obvious in some parts of 'The Secret Life of Us', however, there's no doubt it's an instantly likeable album with definite professionalism and a well appreciated live feel.

'The Secret Life Of Us' is a great reflection of the UK soul, funk, jazz and boogie scene. It has a maturity within it and a definite love for this kind of sound. They haven't compromised their essence to expand into newer forms of music, rather they are doing what they enjoy doing and expressing themselves with definite finesse. This album could be a winner in a lot of ways, although, it is very much niche in its integrity. 'Jazz The DMX' moves a bit more into the funk which I liked, however 'The Secret Life Of Us' mainly has a disco formula moving into the realm of melody and dance. Not bad!

Tareck Ghoneim