Dr. Rubberfunk, My Life At 45 Review
Dr. Rubberfunk, My Life At 45 Review
Bringing to life the sounds of serious funk is Dr. Rubberfunk (Simon Ward). Ward created the guise in 1992 when he was DJing, the name stuck, and the music has been flowing ever since. Dr. Rubberfunk released his debut 12″ in 2001. Three albums followed; The First Cut and My Life At 33, both released on his own GPS Recordings label, with the third, Hot Stone, releasing on Jalapeno Records. When he is not creating his own music for his albums, the good doctor is busy remixing artists from The Stereo MC’s & Norah Jones to Bobby Hebb & Madness. The doctor has played drums on releases for DJ Food, Georges Vertes & French Horn Rebellion, and DJed around the world from New York to Moscow, with festival appearances at Glastonbury, Bestival, The Big Chill & Love Supreme. In the Summer of 2018, he began a new series of 7inch singles to celebrate his latest project, My Life At 45, with Part 2 and Part 3 released in 2019. Now Dr. Rubberfunk is releasing his album, My Life At 45, with twelve tracks of superb modern funk.
Positives: A solid variety of feels, instrumentations, and vocalists give My Life At 45 a comprehensible audio appeal that can be felt and heard.
Bottom Line: My Life At 45 is filled with the sounds of funk, soul, blues, and jazz brought to life by Dr. Rubberfunk and a ton of high caliber musicians. The album features vocals from John Turrell, Izo FitzRoy, and Stephanie Whitelock. At the same time, the instrumental tracks are a vehicle for the talents of long-time collaborators Jim Oliver, Jonathon James, and Ben Castle. All the sounds are made manifest by Dr. Rubberfunk’s quality productions, with a hands-on approach, both in front of, and behind the mixing desk, and as an accomplished multi-instrumentalist and producer. “Boom!” opens the album and features the vocals of Turrell. The track blends the blues with funk in a musical manner that is catchy and filled with spice. “Pressure Cooker” is an instrumental with a funky beat through a blues form that features spirited guitar playing, full organ sounds, and a serious backbeat groove. “A Little Blahzay” has funky spanky clean guitar chordal figures dancing around Whitelock’s soulful vocals. The song form also brings hip vocal backgrounds and a rich bass line framed by a funky beat from the drums. The overall project is the perfect remedy for those suffering from a lack of funk and soul. Dr. Rubberfunk will deliver the medicine with style and a funky smile. That’s the short of it!.
Connect with Dr. Rubberfunk: Website |
My Life At 45
Boom! (feat. John Turrell)
Pressure Cooker
A Matter Of Time (feat. Izo FitzRoy)
How Beautiful
Canvas Cathedral (feat. Ben Castle)
With Love (feat. Stephanie Whitelock)
Slim's Mood
Hey!
A Little Blahzay (feat. Izo FitzRoy)
Steppin' In
Laid Bare (feat. Stephanie Whitelock)
Longshore Drift
Release Date: February 14, 2020
Jalapeno Records
45 minutes
9.1
Jane Monheit, Silver Bells Review
Michael Dease, Found in Space: The Music of Gregg Hill Review
