A collaboration with guitarist
Charlie Hunter,
SuperBlue finds vocalist
Kurt Elling exploring a sophisticated funk and soul sound.
Hunter, who plays here and also produced the album, is primarily known for his fusion-informed jazz and adventurous, funk-influenced projects like
Garage a Trois. However, he has also made significant contributions to albums by forward-thinking neo-soul and R&B artists, including
D'Angelo and
Frank Ocean. It's this deep grasp of those funky, groove-oriented vibes that he brings to his work with
Elling on
SuperBlue. Also contributing are
Butcher Brown bandmates drummer
Corey Fonville and bassist-keyboardist
DJ Harrison, who bring their own hip-hop sensibilities to the proceedings. The ensemble initially began sharing tracks and musical ideas online while in quarantine due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Eventually,
Elling and
Hunter met up in an Illinois barn turned studio to add vocals and guitar to the arrangements. Despite the implied difficulty of the process,
SuperBlue is one of
Elling's most sleek and relaxed recordings, bringing together some of the beat poetry-influenced spoken word of his early work with the warm, lyrical vocal swagger he's known for. Cuts like the title track, "Manic Panic Epiphanic," and "Can't Make It with Your Brain" are fluidly engaging jams that marry
Elling's burnished lyrical flow with
Hunter's knack for kinetic grooves. We also get a dusky reworking of "Endless Lawns," originally recorded on 2018's
The Questions. If the earlier version already evoked the romantic '70s soul of
Stevie Wonder and
Donny Hathaway, this version magnifies the influence as
Hunter frames
Elling in slow-burning organ and supple bass accents.
SuperBlue certainly straddles the line between electric jazz fusion and groove-based neo-soul, with a heavy leaning toward the latter. While there are some superb solo moments here from
Hunter, not to mention dazzling sections of vocal gymnastics by
Elling, the focus is less on post-bop improvisation and more on a song's overall vibe. For
Elling and
Hunter, the choice feels purposeful and right for the funky, organic nature of these songs.
SuperBlue is an ebullient and creative production that further underlines
Elling's dynamic and endlessly adaptable vocal skills, regardless of genre. ~ Matt Collar
