Album review: Hard Proof dropped third LP Code Noir last month
Austin’s hometown jazz-funk collective, Hard Proof, released their latest album, Code Noir, in early February. The all-star Afrobeat collective released their third studio record followed by a Continental Club album release party. The recording is a listen that is bound to get you up and dancing in your living room. It may be their best effort yet.
For more than a decade, the group has drawn rhythmic inspiration from Afrobeat and Zamrock, blended with contemporary jazz and world music. If you’ve followed the group, you have noticed several members come and go over the years. Now, the band is a consolidated, 10-piece collective, venturing outside previous creative boundaries. The collective features members of Black Pumas, Black Joe Lewis and a former member who joined Spoon. This band has chops.
What sets Code Noir apart from previous releases, is that the band incorporates vocals in this most-recent project. Previously, most guest vocal tracks have been recorded as a separate single rather than being included on the LPs. The album is an example of the band’s recent musical expansion.
Opening with the funk-infused basslines and catchy elaborate drums of “Trash Talk,” the album immediately immerses the listener with what merges into their signature, Afrobeat-inspired sound. Kalu James, of Kalu & The Electric Joint, graces the number with overwhelming vocal presence on “Yellow and Blue,” and “On the Boulevard.” The Nigerian-born songwriter and the instrumentation of Hard Proof complement each other so naturally that one can only hope we will be blessed to witness possible future collaborations.
With tracks laid down at Bud’s Recording with producer/engineers Sam Patlove and Tim Crane — of T Bird & the Breaks — Code Noir continues on a trajectory that places the band’s creative ingenuity on full display.
“It’s a Slow Climb,” featuring Austin MC, Tigre Liu, is a jazzy boom-bap throwback to the golden age of 90’s Hip Hop. Hard Proof’s instrumentation delivers subtle complexity to a refreshing sound that mixes in the world beats that is the group’s hallmark.
“On the Ave,” the album’s closing number, is the perfect finale for their latest musical venture. It’s a number that simultaneously encapsulates the tone of the entire LP, while bookending it to a perfect opportunity for repeat plays…seamlessly to opening notes of “Trash Talk.”
Code Noir is a testament to Hard Proof’s versatility and adept creativity; a full-fledged melodic blast. The Austin 10-piece collective seamlessly fuses traditional Afrobeat sounds with contemporary funky grooves. It is a must-listen for any music fan, transcending conventional musical genres.
Be on the lookout for their live shows. They put on a good one. Their next show listed is at Radio/East on May 1.
Hard Proof members:
Aaron Sleator – Guitar
Carolyn Trowbridge – Percussion
Eddie Torres – Bass
Jackson Van Norman – Keyboards
Jason Frey – Saxophone
Joseph Woulard – Saxophone
John Branch – Guitar
John Spiece IV – Percussion + Congas
Paul Deemer – Trumpet and Trombone
Stephen Bidwell – Drums
Featured photo courtesy of Hard Proof
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