Positivity (album)

Positivity is an album by the British acid jazz band Incognito, released in 1993.[1][2]

Positivity
Studio album by
Released1993
GenreJazz fusion
Length66:27
LabelTalkin' Loud
Verve Forecast
ProducerJean-Paul "Bluey" Maunick
Incognito chronology
Tribes, Vibes + Scribes
(1992)
Positivity
(1993)
100 Degrees and Rising
(1995)

The album peaked at No. 55 on the UK Albums Chart.[3] It has sold more than 350,000 copies in the United States.[4]

Production

The album was produced by band leader Jean-Paul "Bluey" Maunick.[5] In constructing the album, Maunick was chiefly inspired by Stevie Wonder's Talking Book and Innervisions.[6]

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[7]
Calgary HeraldB[8]
The Encyclopedia of Popular Music[5]
MusicHound R&B: The Essential Album Guide[9]
USA Today[10]

The Washington Post wrote that "the band mines familiar funk grooves with more than enough imagination and horn power to keep things fresh."[11] The Calgary Herald praised the "free flowing numbers that eschew harder edge riffs for music suited more for spliffs."[8] USA Today stated that "the commercially oriented backbeats and vocals (more singing than on their previous two albums) are counterbalanced by a tight horn section and jazzy, crisp arrangements."[10] The Orange County Register opined that "the strength lies in vocalists Maysa Leak and Mark Anthoni, whose rich-sounding voices glide through each track as easily as a hot spoon through ice cream."[12]

AllMusic wrote that "group leader Jean-Paul 'Bluey' Maunick's vision of intertwine various genres of music (bebop, soul, classical, dance, etc.) into one incomparable sound is exemplary."[7] MusicHound R&B: The Essential Album Guide called "Deep Waters" a "landmark acid-jazz track."[9]

Track listing

No.TitleLength
1."Step Into My Life"4:13
2."Still a Friend of Mine"5:37
3."Smiling Faces"5:09
4."Where Do We Go from Here"5:21
5."Positivity"3:51
6."Inversions"5:54
7."Givin' It Up"5:08
8."Talkin' Loud"3:28
9."Deep Waters"6:37
10."Do Right"5:29
11."Pieces of a Dream"4:19
12."Thinking 'Bout Tomorrow"5:53
13."Keep the Fires Burning"5:20
Total length:66:27

References

  1. "Incognito | Biography & History". AllMusic.
  2. Smith, Andrew (2 June 1995). "Still rising after all these years: Andrew Smith talks to Bluey Maunick, the Mr Consistency of jazz fusion". The Guardian. Features. p. 18.
  3. "INCOGNITO | full Official Chart History | Official Charts Company". www.officialcharts.com.
  4. Thompson, Dave (August 19, 2001). "Funk". Hal Leonard Corporation via Google Books.
  5. Larkin, Colin (2006). The Encyclopedia of Popular Music. Vol. 4. MUZE. p. 468.
  6. Murray, Sonia (May 6, 1994). "POP MUSIC - PREVIEW - Incognito". The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. p. P9.
  7. "Positivity - Incognito | Songs, Reviews, Credits | AllMusic" via www.allmusic.com.
  8. Muretich, James (1 May 1994). "RECENT RELEASES". Calgary Herald. p. C2.
  9. MusicHound R&B: The Essential Album Guide. Visible Ink Press. 1998. p. 281.
  10. Jones IV, James T. (20 Apr 1994). "A trio of jazz funk crowd-pleasers". USA Today. p. 6D.
  11. Joyce, Mike (13 May 1994). "Inventive Incognito". The Washington Post. p. N16.
  12. Montero, David (April 22, 1994). "Galliano, Incognito albums blend a heap of influences". Orange County Register. Show. p. 48.
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