Positivity (album)

Last updated
Positivity
Positivity (album).jpg
Studio album by
Incognito
Released1993
Studio
  • Parkgate (East Sussex, UK)
  • Swanyard, Metropolis and The Hit Factory (London, UK)
  • Opaz (East London, UK)
  • Bump City (Los Angeles, California, USA)
Genre Acid jazz
Length66:27
Label Talkin' Loud
Verve Forecast
Producer
Incognito chronology
Tribes, Vibes + Scribes
(1992)		Positivity
(1993)		 100° and Rising
(1995)

Positivity is an album by the British band Incognito, released in 1993. [1] [2] The band supported the album with a North American tour. [3]

Contents

The album peaked at No. 55 on the UK Albums Chart. [4] The album peaked at No. 2 on the US Billboard Top Contemporary Jazz Albums chart. [5] It has sold more than 350,000 copies in the United States. [6]

Production

The album was produced by band leader Jean-Paul "Bluey" Maunick. [7] He was chiefly inspired by Stevie Wonder's Talking Book and Innervisions . [8]

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [9]
Calgary Herald B [10]
The Encyclopedia of Popular Music Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [7]
MusicHound R&B: The Essential Album Guide Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar half.svgStar empty.svg [11]
USA Today Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar half.svg [12]

The Washington Post wrote that "the band mines familiar funk grooves with more than enough imagination and horn power to keep things fresh." [13] The Calgary Herald praised the "free flowing numbers that eschew harder edge riffs for music suited more for spliffs." [10] 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." [12]

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." [14] The Atlanta Journal-Constitution listed Positivity as one of the best R&B albums of 1994. [15]

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." [9] MusicHound R&B: The Essential Album Guide called "Deep Waters" a "landmark acid-jazz track." [11]

Track listing

No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Step into My Life" Jean-Paul Maunick, Richard Bull, Peter Hinds4:13
2."Still a Friend of Mine"Maunick, Bull5:37
3."Smiling Faces"Maunick, Graham Harvey, Ray Hayden5:09
4."Where Do We Go from Here"Maunick, Hayden5:21
5."Positivity"Maunick, Bull, Randy Hope-Taylor3:51
6."Inversions"Maunick, Max Beesley 5:54
7."Givin' It Up"Maunick, Bull5:08
8."Talkin' Loud"Maunick, Bull, Harvey3:28
9."Deep Waters"Maunick, Bull6:37
10."Do Right"Maunick, Harvey, Hayden5:29
11."Pieces of a Dream"Maunick, Bull4:19
12."Thinking 'Bout Tomorrow"Maunick, Bull, Fayyaz Virji5:53
13."Keep the Fires Burning"Maunick, Hayden5:20
Total length:66:27

Personnel

Incognito

Additional musicians

Production

Charts

Chart (1993)Peak
position
Australian Albums (ARIA) [16] 108
US Top R&B Albums ( Billboard )53
US Heatseekers Albums (Billboard)13
US Top Contemporary Jazz Albums (Billboard)2
UK Pop Albums (Official Charts)55

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". Features. The Guardian. p. 18.
  3. ↑ Stoute, Lenny (19 May 1994). "Incognito came to the Palladium with a rep as acid-jazz veterans...". Toronto Star. p. J11.
  4. ↑ "Incognito Full Official Chart History". www.officialcharts.com.
  5. ↑ "Top Contemporary Jazz Albums". Billboard. Vol. 107, no. 28. 15 July 1995. p. 36.
  6. ↑ Thompson, Dave (August 19, 2001). Funk. Hal Leonard Corporation – via Google Books.
  7. 1 2 Larkin, Colin (2006). The Encyclopedia of Popular Music. Vol. 4. MUZE. p. 468.
  8. ↑ Murray, Sonia (6 May 1994). "Acid jazz: Hard to define, easy on the ears". The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. p. P9.
  9. 1 2 "Positivity". AllMusic.
  10. 1 2 Muretich, James (1 May 1994). "Recent Releases". Calgary Herald. p. C2.
  11. 1 2 MusicHound R&B: The Essential Album Guide. Visible Ink Press. 1998. p. 281.
  12. 1 2 Jones IV, James T. (20 Apr 1994). "A trio of jazz funk crowd-pleasers". USA Today. p. 6D. ProQuest   306694647.
  13. ↑ Joyce, Mike (13 May 1994). "Inventive Incognito". The Washington Post. p. N16.
  14. ↑ Montero, David (April 22, 1994). "Galliano, Incognito albums blend a heap of influences". Show. Orange County Register. p. 48.
  15. ↑ Murray, Sonia (25 Dec 1994). "The Year's Best". The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. p. K14.
  16. ↑ "Incognito ARIA chart history to 2024". ARIA. Retrieved 21 July 2024– via Imgur.com. N.B. The High Point number in the NAT column represents the release's peak on the national chart.
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