Jim Wellman
Dawn to Dusk
(Postmodern Jazz)

Opening with the quick rhythm of electric guitar and a tight conga groove/snare snap, Jim Wellman gets his new Dawn to Dusk going with the soulful vocals of Judy La Rose on “Lucy.” An even funkier “Lewontin Campbell” follows with a real fat bass and snapping horns under Wellman’s limited, yet effectively emotive vocals. A wacka-wacka percussion and guitar help to move this one along even more than the opener, which moved very well as it was. “Probably Good” mines a slightly slower groove, prominent high hat and wavy, electric piano swirling under the perfectly-sexy-without-trying-to-be-sexy vocal from Tara from studiopros.com. (There is a sly, singable chorus here that makes this one of the best tracks here.) “Feedback Loop” has probably the best layering of sounds (guitar, xylophone, and conga) and it gets up a nice head of steam on what is pretty much a short, little groove. We get spoken-word pronouncements here about humanity, by way of a phone conversation here, but I feel what Wellman has to say is better served when he lets his singers sing. “Night of the Meme” (great title!) again has a complicated conga and drums (and smokin’ bass) groove, but piano leads this one really, as does a sexy, male vocal.  “Let the People Rule Ya’” is all bass, percussion and horns. It’s a great mover with a chanted main title vocal, low and groovin’. Like “Probably Good” I could sing along to this one, as well as get up and dance.