The Crossing (Menahan Street Band album)

According to the review aggregator Metacritic, The Crossing received "generally favorable reviews" based on a weighted average score of 79 out of 100 from 10 critic reviews.[3] Editors at AllMusic rated this album 4 out of 5 stars, with critic Fred Thomas writing that this album "expands somewhat on the band's debut, with the group plucking inspiration from a wide spectrum of soul and funk subcategories" and the band "cultivates a rich collection of emotionally complex instrumental soul, with precise musicianship meeting inspired production and a deeply studied obsession with the often sampled and less often acknowledged obscure geniuses of soul music".[1] Len Comaratta of Consequence of Sound scored this album a B, noting the band's non-soul influences and states that a "slightly haunting, lower-timbre" runs through most of the album.[4] In The Irish Times, Jim Carroll gave The Crossing 4 out of 5 stars, characterizing the music: "these tight, moody, sumptuous instrumentals are widescreen, cinematic pace-setters, with detailed, punchy, textured playing that draws you in and allows the drama to unfold".[5] Elias Leight of PopMatters gave this release an 8 out of 10, stating that this work "once again shows their talent at creating tight instrumental funk" with music "buoyed by firm backbeats and highly synchronized horn section".[2]

All songs written by Menahan Street Band.

1. "The Crossing" – 5:04
2. "Lights Out" – 2:35
3. "Keep Coming Back" – 3:16
4. "Three Faces" – 4:34
5. "Sleight of Hand" – 3:00
6. "Everyday a Dream" – 3:51
7. "Seven Is the Wind" – 5:06
8. "Bullet for the Bagman" – 2:57
9. "Driftwood" – 3:39
10. "Ivory and Blue" – 3:36
11. "Ivory and Blue (reprise)" – 1:05

Menahan Street Band

• Thomas Brenneck – autoharp, bass guitar, guitar, electric piano, synthesizer, ukulele, mixing, production
• Mike Deller – piano
• Dave Guy – trumpet
• Leon Michels – organ, tenor saxophone
• Nick Movshon – bass guitar, drums
• Homer Steinweiss – drums, package design

Additional personnel

• Victor Axelrod – organ
• The Bushwick Philharmonic – philharmonic orchestra on "Lights Out"
  • Antoine Silverman – violin
  • Entcho Todorov – violin
  • Anja Wood – viola
• John Carbonella – package design
• Bobby Chupete – congas on "Ivory and Blue"
• Cochemea Gastelum – flute on "Sleight of Hand"
• JJ Golden – mastering
• Gabriel Roth – executive production, mixing
• Sugarman – executive production
• Jared Tankel – baritone saxophone on "Sleight of Hand"

• 2012 in American music
• List of 2012 albums

• The Crossing at Discogs (list of releases)
• The Crossing at MusicBrainz (list of releases)