- Loveslap! have done plenty to promote West Coast house music and have given us some mixed CD treats from Jay J and Julius Papp along the way. David Harness is a new, up and coming name, not surprisingly a San Francisco resident, and this is his first outing on the label.
His set starts promisingly, with a typically smooth intro for Alma Horton’s ‘Gimme That Music’, stepping up a groove for Invitation’s ‘Reminded Me’ and some singalong vocals from Brian Alexander Morgan and Kenny Bobien.
So far so good, but after this promising opening it all goes a bit one-dimensional – nothing particularly bad, but not of great distinction either – a noodly guitar here (Harness and Charles Spencer), some inoffensive but uninvolving deep vibes there (Mr.V and Miss Patty). Even when the drums take on a tribal edge the mood doesn’t shift, for although this music would fare well in a club or bar, it’s static on the home stereo.
Enter Fertile Ground, whose offbeat track ‘Live In The Light’ at once raises the stakes and propels us forward again. From here on there’s no looking back, with a really solid track from Martino, whose ‘Cultured Girl’ is a slow builder with piano bass and a nicely layered string part. The best vocal track follows, Heather Johnson injecting Spencer Gray’s ‘Pillow Talk’ with a sweetly seductive tone. Finishing off are Blaze, no strangers to this type of compilation, with the warm-centred ‘Found Love’.
It’s a sandwich, then – the filling a bit lukewarm, but the outer edges guaranteed to satisfy. Just keep the skip button to hand – you might need it!