Tortured Soul
at Hot House,
(312) 362-9707,
on June 25
I'm sure I won't be the first person to call
producer and remixer Charles Feelgood (a.k.a. Charles Fields) "Dr. Feelgood," but suffice it to say that with his CD, House Music (Topaz), on which he wrote or co-wrote ten of the twelve tracks and had a hand in the production of all, he makes a much needed "house call." Proving that good house music extends beyond the borders of its Chicago birthplace, the Baltimore/D.C.-area DJ and producer sets the tone with opening
statement "I Feelgood" and the rest is house
history. The Latin-tinged "On That Tip" by Timbalero is a spicy and sassy cut which is
followed by the high-
flying vintage disco beat of 707's "Altitude." "Detroit Girl" is an
infectious urban dance track with a vocal break by Meshell that recalls Ya Kid K's Technotronic rants. The wordless vocals of Funkariffic's "Mardi Gras" give it a retro feel that refers to the 60s. However, it is on more straightforward house rockers such as D-Licious' "Charm City Hustle," Society Noise's "Yeah Yeah," Funky Experience's "B-More Bump," and "Dial 611" by NR-G Out, that Feelgood lives up to his chosen moniker.
Here's a concept we could do with more of: a "live deep house" band. Vocalist and drummer Christian Urich, who does a pretty fly Stevie Wonder for a white guy, is joined by Ethan White (keyboards) and Jason Kriveloff (bass), to create a seductive and soulful sound that inspires
dancing with abandon
Introducing Tortured Soul (Purpose). "I Might Do Something Wrong" sounds like an outtake from one of the aforementioned Wonder's late 70s recording sessions. On "How's Your Life" they nearly tear the roof off the house, while it's hard not to fall in love with the warm soul harmonies and hot keyboards of "Fall In Love." The disc's aptly named centerpiece "Epic" takes the listener on an odyssey through seventies jazz fusion to early live disco all in less than ten minutes. The enjoyable "Enjoy It Now" made me think of line dances and polyester shirts open to the third or fourth button and the timeless "Love Everlasting" once again calls on the influence of jazz fusion and vintage disco dance steps.