View Larger
Rate it!
Avg: 3.0 (2 ratings)
- Date Released: July 24, 2007
- Genre: Jazz
- Style: Fusion
- Label: Rhombus Records / IODA
-
They Say...
Opening with an old-fashioned jazz-funk workout called "Funkasaurus," Shawn Needham's debut album as a leader comes out of the gate sounding like a throwback to the early-'80s days of Material and the Golden Palominos, a late form of jazz fusion that if anything has dated even less well than the better-known '70s stuff. It's an inauspicious opening that's quickly righted by the upbeat swing of "Cheesecake," but then Needham throws in an out of place chorus of semi-metallic distortion that stops the tune cold. Fusing jazz and rock is a tricky business, one reason why so many have made such a hash of it over the decades, and Needham doesn't seem to have his aesthetic in place just yet. But the best tunes on Black Sheep, like the album highlight "Camille's Tune," work because Needham and his band (a three-piece rhythm section and tenor saxophonist Eric Crystal, who gets plenty of solo opportunities) strike just the right balance between the aggressive rhythmic attack of good rock and the melodic complexity of good jazz. The opening minute of "It's Been Said" is an even better example, an atmospheric, slow-burning intro that eventually modulates into a heavily processed solo somewhere between Wes Montgomery and Duane Eddy. Despite the occasional misstep, Needham is clearly a talented guitarist and a decent composer (save for one tune, Wayne Krantz's "Whippersnapper," Black Sheep is all originals), and his debut album bodes well for his future.
“ The indie iTunes — Hardcore music fans are migrating to eMusic, the iTunes Music Store's cheaper, cooler cousin.”
Rolling Stone
eMusic Tip
Paid downloads are counted towards an album discount but free downloads are not.
COMPLETE FOR FREE!
You can download the rest of the tracks from this album for free! Just click the Complete Album button.
We’re sorry this album can only be downloaded using paid subscription download credits.
We recommend you Save it for Later by clicking the Save for Later button shown just above this message. For a list of related albums you can download right now, check out these recommendations.
We'll give you 7 additional free credits to download this album and start your paid subscription.
Get 7 bonus credits on us if you download this album. Sweet!
| 01. |  |
Funkasuarus |
5:58 |
|
| 02. | |
Cheesecake |
7:20 |
|
| 03. | |
Camille's Tune |
5:47 |
|
| 04. | |
It's Been Said |
8:08 |
|
| 05. | |
Courage |
5:31 |
|
| 06. | |
Black Sheep |
9:39 |
|
| 07. | |
Whippersnapper |
6:40 |
|
07 Total Tracks, 49:03 Total Length
Loading...
Credits
- Alan Hall - Drums // Scott Yanow - Author // Michael Aaberg - Piano // Michael Aaberg - Organ (Hammond) // Eric Crystal - Sax (Tenor) // Shawn Needham - Guitar
Choose from over 7 million
music downloadseMusic features legendary and emerging artists in every genre: classic rock to classical,indie to international, soundtracks to spiritual, jazz to country and many more.
MP3 downloads work on any digital media player
With eMusic, you OWN your music without any restrictions. Burn music to a CD, play it on your computer, mobile phone or any digital media player - including iPod®, Zune® and Walkman®.
Songs available for 50¢ or less
eMusic subscriptions start at just $11.99 a month for 24 downloads - that's just 50¢ per song! And it gets better from there - our plans go as low as 42¢ per song!
Music Discovery
eMusic is about discovery. We make finding new music fun again with music recommendations from our award-winning team of music experts, member playlists and new music features.
Cancel anytime
With all the great music and site features we're pretty sure you will love eMusic. If not, no problem. You can cancel at any time and keep the music you have downloaded.
© 1992 - 2009 All Media Guide, LLC