If one wishes to find their pleasure in soulful, caressing music, the listener can sink their tastes into the sounds of Fishbelly Back, a charming group bringing together the best of jazz and rhythm and blues in their release, Crusader. The material was written and arranged by Crusader frontman George Mitchell, who, with the help of executive producers Stuart Love and David Chackler, spin the wheel with stirring percussion beats and melancholy keyboard and sax layovers. Presented here on this eleven track Beyond label work is sixty minutes of music to groove your body to. Highlights include the jam Freefall, the inspiring Grapevine, and the blissful title track, Crusader. Feels Like Home provides a strong showing of the sax, intermixed with the mingling of a great vibe of keyboards. A strong showing featuring a whole entourage of musicians, playing a variety of instruments, this music is perfect for meditation, reading, relaxation or putting that bounce in your dance step. Look out! Fishbelly Back storms to the scene with jazz smooth to the touch and enlivening to the soul. Though the group expresses a high degree of enthusiasm and precise musicianship, perhaps the major drawback of the overall product in their lack of imagination or creative freedom. As good a group as they are, they could have put more musical exploration into the recordings, rather than two chord progressions that last the most of five or six minutes.
© Shawn M. Haney /TiVo