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Iranian-born pianist and guitarist Aram Danesh has succeeded in breaking the genre barrier between hip-hop, world beat, rock and roll, and dance music. Let me be the first to say it proudly! Simply put, this guy rocks with extraordinary talent. From the very beginning of this eight song debut release, all the elements seem to meld perfectly as he and a huge host of supporting characters blaze from one style to the next with lightning efficiency. The disc opens with “I Did It”, a feverish display of word play that puts the Black Eyed Peas to shame and takes them 10 steps further by the constant scratching, upfront rhythmic drums, and unmistakable sound of F-U-N. Funky Latin soul, straight-up Hip-Hop, and instrumental Jazz flourishes accentuate a spectacular feat of production, as on track 2, “The Spot”, while #3, “Elegua” is reminiscent of San Francisco’s Soulstice (OM Records), and can be easily imagined fitting into a King Britt or Mark Farina set with its smooth acoustic guitar lines. #4, “Elastic” is built around a tight, Carlos Santana-ish electric guitar riff, and features some incredible rapping and beatbox vocals. “Le Chat Noir”, track #5, slowly builds into a full-on housey dancefloor romp with a broken beat bass drum line and quirky key lines ala Basement Jaxx for the warm and fuzzy feel of some good old times. Track 6 picks up where 5 leaves off, yet adds a sexual, Spanish flavor. #7 is a remix of “The Spot”, while the ending track, “Mais Feliz”, is a Bebel Gilberto cover that harkens back to the smoke entombed jazz clubs of the 1920’s with amazing fashion and grace. Well done, my friend.-- review by Carl Noone, Jr.
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