- Records don't come more Detroit than Scott Grooves' latest. 2nd 7 Inch comes with a charred wood adapter—with a pleasantly smoky workshop smell—whose design portrays the city riverfront. The A-side, "Oceans Of Thoughts And Dreams," is an instrumental cover of a song by the Detroit soul group The Dramatics. Besides Grooves, the players involved—Ian Fink, Glenn Tucker, Alex White—are young local musicians. A far more established Detroit band, One Way, assists Grooves on "So Glad." As the producer recently explained in an email, "I wanted to bring together on one record youth and veterans, thus showing that good music can help bridge the generation gap."
And 2nd 7 Inch is good music. "So Glad" is an upbeat funk track with vocals from Al Hudson, who sings the praises of a loved one. Given the context, some might read the lyrics as a tribute to Detroit, but it's doubtful that anyone calls the Motor City—or any city, for that matter—a "cutie pie." (Incidentally, that's also the name of one of Hudson's band's biggest hits.) "Oceans Of Thoughts And Dreams" reworks the original in a more assertive spirit. The Rhodes keys are slightly overworked, but the organ anchors the song nicely while the drumming keeps things tight. Grooves, as is his habit, plays the background: someone who doesn't toot his own horn taps the conga instead. In a sense, 2nd 7 Inch isn't really about him—it's an affectionate showcase of the musical heritage that has served him so well.
TracklistA So Glad
B Oceans Of Thoughts And Dreams