XANTONÉ BLACQ „Revelation“ (Xantoné Blacq)

Die besondere Platte. Gibt´s zwar aktuell nur als Download – ein bedauerlicher Umstand, der allerdings an der übergreifenden Qualität der neuen Angebote des Xantoné Blacq trotz der unwirtlichen Umstände keinerlei Zweifel lässt. Übrigens das zweite Werk eines Mannes, der in jüngster Zeit als musikalisch tragende Säule im Background einer Amy Winehouse oder eines Nigel Kennedy ausharren durfte. Nun befreit von jeglichem Regelwerk geht Herr Blacq frisch ans Werk und lässt so keinen Stil-Baustein auf dem anderen. Es gesellen sich muntere Gute-Laune-Tunes mit Stevie Wonder Finish neben Andeutungen orientalischer Umtriebe, netten US-Redneck Freuden, diffizilen Jazz-Fusion Operationen, Erinnerungen an die britische Art-Rock Tradition zwischen King Crimson und Quantum Jump – all das, und noch viel mehr, wird garniert mit einer ganz speziellen Note Soul, Funk und Pop. Dazu Arrangements, so tief, so komplex, so spannend, wie weibliche Psyche. Hier ist Selbsterfahrung dringend angeraten – zur Einstimmung bietet uns Xantoné eine kurzweilige Anleitung – die „7 Steps to Revelation“, die ich hiermit sehr gern zur Nachahmung empfehle:
“Step 1: Shut out the world
You are about to hear Xan Blacq’s new album, Revelation for the first time, an album of radiant sunshine soul. Insert the CD into your player. Get rid of the other people in your office/living room/car/bathtub. Don’t pretend you can properly listen to it while you make phone calls, read the papers or clean out the fridge… And no, this is not music for making babies to, so behave please, this is not the time for that. To get the full experience, you’re going to shut out the world and concentrate on this record from start to finish. So take a deep breath, and press play.
Step 2: Enter the eternal
“I want to write music that is lasting, even if this album has more of a leaning towards pop music. That said, I’m not doing Lady Gaga or Kylie. While recording this album, I didn’t listen to a lot of records, but I did listen to Thriller and Off The Wall. On those records, there are lots of jazz-funk elements, yet it still appeals to your average listener who might not know about Weather Report. My album is equally approachable… I was never interested in writing clever stuff that no one understands. I want people to hear my music in 20 years and still think it’s great.”
Step 3: Emotional cleansing
Xan’s music is going to wash all your troubles away – think Stevie Wonder, think Steely Dan, think of a thick duvet on a cold night. In fact don’t think at all – this music is about feeling. The true notes will actuate those nerve endings that have been deadened by dross, maimed by the mediocre. Xan has coined a term for his craft – he calls it Free Range Sunshine Music. Why? “Because it puts people in particular moods, brings something positive to the world,” says Xan. “I respect artists who are coming from darker emotional spaces but that’s not who I am as a person.” Speaking of emotional spaces, did we mention that Xan is the keyboard player in Amy Winehouse’s band? Well, now we have.
Step 4: Are you ready to be Revealed?
Now you’re ready for Revelation, it’s going to come so don’t fight it. Hear the rumbling bass, feel the angular drums licks on ‘What You Talkin Bout’ – this isn’t some synthetic soul created by stealing old drum breaks and raiding old records, this is Xan’s rocket-fuelled band reaching for higher ground. Your heartbeat will lock with the rhythm section, the horns will massage your liver, Xan’s lightening-speed keys will send a starburst of electricity up your spine and your pineal gland will swell. You can pout, you can grimace if you want, you can howl like a wolf. Aw-wow-wow-wow. Your soul will be permeated by a profound sense of joy. The world around you will have new meaning.
Step 5: Perfection is the key
“I’ve put all I’ve got into this record, all my abilities, everything I’ve learnt. It’s been over two years since my last album. I took time away from the recording studio to strengthen my craft – improving my keyboard skills, my ear, my vocal skills. This album has a wider palette of harmonic ideas, more complex rhythmic elements and arrangements. I’m also now a more experienced band leader. I’ve got more maturity. Some of the songs I’ve written on the album are a challenge to perform live. I wanted to push myself, set the bar at the limits of what I am able to do. That way I am always stretching and growing
Step 6: Attainment
The mystics are said to achieve fresh perspective on the world. Xan’s album Revelation journeys through the seven ages and the six continents to reach this goal. The Eastern trappings of ‘Wrapped Up’ recall a Persian palace filled with luxurious objects. ‘African Rain’ traverses the ancestral savannahs and the sacred flood plains of Egypt. The Jamaican funk of ‘It’s Wrong’ takes to the streets of New York in protest at the inequalities we all suffer. And on the country & western ‘Nigerian Hilly Billy’, we discover that in whatever time and place we find ourselves, deep down we’re all the same.
Step 7: The Circle Is Complete
The city lights are coming into view, the journey is nearing its final destination. Please prepare for landing. You will have experienced the transformative powers of music. Free Range Sunshine Music is an elixir for your soul, it turns the grey city into a secret playground and makes gods and goddesses out of shopkeepers, van drivers and regional sales managers. You can go back to what you were doing – writing emails, cleaning out the fridge, having a bath – safe in the knowledge that the keys to the universe are at your fingertips. Just pop the CD in your player, and you can find them again.”
Wertung: 9/10
Info: www.xanblacq.com
Kaufen: itunes