BIG FISH AUDIO
Jul 1, 2002 12:00 PM
If you're looking for a steadfast groove and beautifully articulated bass playing, R&B Backline is your ticket. The performance and sound quality of every groove are perfectly executed, but perhaps the CD's greatest feature is the way it captures the intangible and ever-elusive feel that causes a good R&B track to hit you in the gut and rock your soul. The collection offers 62 tracks categorized by key and tempo, sporting both ensemble and individual electric-bass and drum-kit loops so that you can use only the bass, just the drums or both together. Even though certain grooves tend to line-up more easily, the mix-and-match possibilities are endless.
For added convenience, the package includes an audio CD and a WAV/Acid CD containing identical material ready for use in Acid. Both of the musicians featured on R&B Backline are veteran studio players. Khari Parker, currently with Destiny's Child, lays down a rock-solid performance while providing a retro feel reminiscent to that of Bernard Purdie or even Clyde Stubblefield. On bass, Chuck Webb — who has played with Ramsey Lewis, Grover Washington Jr., Joe Sample and more — is both smooth and tasty. This is a genre-specific CD that focuses on only bass and drums and maintains a similar tonality throughout. My only criticism is that the material is so on-target that it's hard to conceive of using these loops outside of an R&B context, although creative producers will find a way to make them work in a hip-hop or funky house track.
Overall Rating (out of 5): 3.5
Big Fish Audio; tel. (800) 717-3474; e-mail info@bigfishaudio.com; Web www.bigfishaudio.com
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