| Positivity | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | 1993 | |||
| Genre | Acid jazz | |||
| Length | 66:27 | |||
| Label | Talkin' Loud Verve Forecast | |||
| Producer | Jean-Paul "Bluey" Maunick | |||
| Incognito chronology | ||||
| ||||
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]
The album peaked at No. 55 on the UK Albums Chart. [4] It has sold more than 350,000 copies in the United States. [5]
The album was produced by band leader Jean-Paul "Bluey" Maunick. [6] He was chiefly inspired by Stevie Wonder's Talking Book and Innervisions . [7]
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [8] |
| Calgary Herald | B [9] |
| The Encyclopedia of Popular Music | [6] |
| MusicHound R&B: The Essential Album Guide |  [10] |
| USA Today | [11] |
The Washington Post wrote that "the band mines familiar funk grooves with more than enough imagination and horn power to keep things fresh." [12] The Calgary Herald praised the "free flowing numbers that eschew harder edge riffs for music suited more for spliffs." [9] 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." [11]
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." [13] The Atlanta Journal-Constitution listed Positivity as one of the best R&B albums of 1994. [14]
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." [8] MusicHound R&B: The Essential Album Guide called "Deep Waters" a "landmark acid-jazz track." [10]
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Step into My Life" | 4:13 |
| 2. | "Still a Friend of Mine" | 5:37 |
| 3. | "Smiling Faces" | 5:09 |
| 4. | "Where Do We Go from Here" | 5:21 |
| 5. | "Positivity" | 3:51 |
| 6. | "Inversions" | 5:54 |
| 7. | "Givin' It Up" | 5:08 |
| 8. | "Talkin' Loud" | 3:28 |
| 9. | "Deep Waters" | 6:37 |
| 10. | "Do Right" | 5:29 |
| 11. | "Pieces of a Dream" | 4:19 |
| 12. | "Thinking 'Bout Tomorrow" | 5:53 |
| 13. | "Keep the Fires Burning" | 5:20 |
| Total length: | 66:27 | |
Acid jazz is a music genre that combines elements of funk, soul, and hip hop, as well as jazz and disco. Acid jazz originated in clubs in London during the 1980s with the rare groove movement and spread to the United States, Western Europe, Latin America and Japan. Acts included The Brand New Heavies, Incognito, James Taylor Quartet, Us3, and Jamiroquai from the UK, and Guru, Buckshot LeFonque and Digable Planets from the U.S. The rise of electronic club music in the middle to late 1990s led to a decline in interest, and in the twenty-first century, acid jazz became indistinct as a genre. Many acts that might have been defined as acid jazz are seen as jazz-funk, or nu jazz.
Jazz-funk is a style that grew out of jazz and the music fused jazz and funk music. The integration of funk, soul, and R&B music and styles into jazz resulted in the creation of a genre whose spectrum is quite wide and ranges from strong jazz improvisation to soul, funk or disco with jazz arrangements, jazz riffs, jazz solos, and sometimes soul vocals.
Incognito is a British acid jazz band. Their debut album, Jazz Funk, was released in 1981.
Jean-Paul Maunick, known by his stage name Bluey is a British guitarist, bandleader, composer and record producer. He has led the British acid jazz band Incognito since its formation in 1979. With Incognito, he has released fifteen studio albums as well as a number of live albums, remix albums and compilation albums. Prior to forming Incognito, Bluey was an original member of the group Light of the World.
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