The New Mastersounds - Out on the Faultline CD | Leeway's Home Grown Music Network

Posted by: Robie | November 6th, 2012

The eighth studio release by The New Mastersounds is everything you hoped it would be - Funky, masterful and timeless.

England's four-piece funk band The New Mastersounds return with their latest effort, "Out on the Faultline." The album was recorded in San Francisco and Oakland California, co-produced by Eddie Roberts & Milton Davis, and features guest performances by the Jazz Mafia Horns and Papa Mali. Faultline is the band’s eighth studio album and it is quintessential New Mastersounds.

When you reach a certain level of greatness you really don't need to worry so much about getting better, only to carry on writing incredible music. The New Mastersounds seem to take all this in stride, producing one great album after another. As far as musicianship “Out on the Faultline” is the band at the top of their game. The song writing varies from masterful to superb. There’s dazzling instrumentals and then there’s vocal tracks that seem to appear at just the right moments. The track “Ding-a-Ling” is one of my favorite songs on the album and presents some masterful horn play from Joe Cohen. There are a few surprises as well, such as the disco-jazzy “Summercamp”, the New Orleans themed “Welcome to Nola” featuring Papa Mali on vocals and “Redwood Jungle” featuring the Jazz Mafia Horns.

The New Mastersounds is a band that presents their own unique brand of funk. When you hear up and coming bands like The Royal Noise you begin to realize that TNMS influence on a younger generation is already beginning to present itself. Eddie Roberts is an innovative and prolific guitar player that has set in motion a style that should be known as "groove jazz". He's simply a wizard at play on this album. And when you're surrounded by exceptional fellow musicians such as Allen, Shand and Tatton, the results will be nothing short of spectacular. After listening to "Out on the Faultline" from start to finish it's difficult to step back and imagine anyone not accepting this as anything less than a solid achievement.