Positivity (album)

Last updated
Positivity
Positivity (album).jpg
Studio album by
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.