George HaffendenDespite dropping last November, Frank McComb’s excellent new EP has only just been making waves this side of the Atlantic, currently debuting at #28 on the Solar Radio Sweet Rhythms Chart. McComb, whose Living Room album and live performances have become legendary, is a versatile singer, writer and producer, who before going solo toured with the likes of Teena Marie and Earth, Wind & Fire’s Philip Bailey. However, in recent years McComb has rightly taken his place alongside the soul greats with a string of excellent solo releases, and he continues this trend with his latest EP.
‘This Love of Ours’ opens up the EP featuring a delightful horn arrangement that complements the smooth-jazz-style bass and guitar licks well. As ever, McComb’s vocals are on point; indeed, it’s easy to understand frequently compared to the great Donny Hathaway vocally. His range and ability are astounding; his ad-libbing is wonderful.
The next track, ‘Feelin’ Some Kinda Way’, takes the tempo down a notch; it has a smooth, sensuous groove, with the bass driving this ballad giving McComb a platform from which to seduce his listener with. Again, vocally McComb is great; if you didn’t know, you might even say this was a Donny Hathaway track. The background vocals are well arranged too, not too powerful nor too timid, backing McComb perfectly.
The EP’s title track is equally romantic, with an early seventies soul feel creating an irresistible groove. It has a catchy lyric and fits McComb’s style well. The final track, ‘She Needs True Love’, is perhaps the best song on the album. It has that Hathaway soul-jazz vibe; it’s incredibly laid back, incredibly romantic, and delivered so well by McComb makes this the standout track on the EP.
If this EP is the sign of (more) things to come from Frank McComb, then we’re very excited here at TFSR. As our one-word review earlier stated, it’s saucy.