Though convenient to run down the list of genres-- funk, jazz, latin, r&b and so forth, rad.'s music is always an eclectic mix of styles, a fusion with that rad. specific sound. The petite dynamo keyboardist-vocalist, unveils a new work with eleven tracks to be stoked about. Co-produced by her and long time collaborator Michael Kirsch, this fourth album will remind fans of her energetically funkified earlier albums and throws in a surprise or two for good measure...
The opener, Old Worn Shoes, is a nouveau Crusader-esque track featuring London saxophonist Jacko Peake that zaps you back in time. But don't be fooled into thinking this is a retro record. Tracks like Cocoon with it's film noir strings and pulsating rhythms or Fela, the electronic afro-salsa homage to Fela Kuti, boldly go where no rad. has gone before. The obligatory funky cha-cha is Long Journey Home boasts a guest performance of former Santana timbalero Orestes Vilato, an original Fania All-Star.
Rad. is at her best on airtight funk rippers Make Every Second Count and Mean & Lean. Drummer David Garibaldi, (Tower of Power, rad.) contributes his tower of groove and saxophonist Norbert Stachel (Tower of Power, Tony Toni Tone, Diana Ross) blows a smokestorm of a solo. As Simply Forgot, a lush ballad with big beats and the brazileiro How Many Times, featuring Percussion heavy weight Michael Spiro go into depth, rad. humors us singing en francais on Soucis en Greve (Worries on Strike). Finally, San Pablo Avenue, named after the long avenue that stretches along the San Francisco East Bay is an after-the-party track meant to transmit the feeling of cruising down that gritty East Bay strip in a California Sunset. The Bass was laid down by rad. Bass-Player Marc van Wageningen, whose "other" gig is Sheila E. and the guitar is strummed and plucked as usual by Mr. Ray Obiedo (formerly with Herbie Hancock and George Duke).
For rad., the album title was an easy choice. "Obviously there's a track on the album where the title comes from. But as we were frantically finishing the album during the dawn of the new millenium, it seemed appropriate to reinforce the notion that time is of the utmost essence, so you have to make the most of it." She surely did.
Make Every Second Count was produced by Rose Ann Dimalanta and Michael Kirsch for 7 Bridges Recordings, CA
recorded and mixed at The Ranch in El Sobrante, California, USA
