Album Review: Silhouette Brown - Silhouette Brown (Ether)

Writer: Ike Ikwuemesi

Fresh for 2005 is Silhouette Brown, the next guise for the acclaimed pairing of Dego and Kaidi Tatham. Both producers turn another corner to serve up a new batch of beats, for the mind, body and most definitely, soul. On diva duty is the impressive Deborah Jordan with Bembe Segue in well-honed support. And it’s the cruise-controlled vocal and songwriting detail as well as the soulful tangent which set this new group formation apart from earlier collaborative efforts.

Silhouette Brown’s music is determined to find its place in your playlist: more accessible and yet in keeping with what both producers have released under their previous aliases. Dego’s signature breaks blend in harmony with Kaidi’s synthed-out melodies to create some lingering, soulful delights that hark back to the funkateers of yesteryear. The tempered influences of Herbie Hancock’s jazzy jaunts and Rick James’ freaky funk are discerned. This retrospective theme carries on throughout; gratifying heads in the mood for cool unrushed vibes from West London’s finest.

An outstanding cut comes in the form of Pain, which is the closest one can cheekily assume a broken beat ballad would sound like - D and K face off and pull the rabbit out the hat with this one. Just A Little More needs to be called out too. It strums like an obscure soul gem from a UK pirate radio playlist of the early '80s. Who’s In Charge and Monday’s Coming also get the draft treatment. In a nutshell, there are no two for the price of one shelf-fillers. This is an LP’s worth of quality stock.

With the dance floor massacre of DKD’s Future Rage still ringing fresh in our blown out minds, Silhouette Brown proves itself to be a tasty contrast that will be making its own kind of impact with no less authority. Don’t keep it to yourself, Spread That!

RELATED LINKS:
More Info - on the Ether website
Kaidi Tatham - our interview
Bembe Segue - our concert review
4 Hero - Remixes - our album review



Buy Silhouette Brown at Amazon UK (CD) | US (CD)



PUBLISHED: 6 February 2005

RELEASE DATE: 5 March 2005

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