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Kneebody — Chapters (Oct. 18, 2019)                     Kneebody — Chapters (Oct. 18, 2019) Pamela MÃÃÃÃÃÃÃÃÃÃÃÃÃÃÃÃÃÃÃÃÃÃÃÃÃÃÃÃÃÃÃÃÃÃÃÃÃÃÃÃÃÃÃÃÃéndez ÃÃÃÃÃÃÃÃÃÃÃÃÃÃÃÃÃÃÃÃÃÃÃÃÃÃÃÃÃÃÃÃÃÃÃÃÃÃÃÃÃÃÃÃâ Time (22 Feb 2019)
Location: Oslo, Norway
Album release: October 18, 2019
Recording date: February, 2018
Recording Location: 
•     Benaji Studio, Laguna Beach California   3, 5, 8, 10 (Nate Wood)
•     Figure 8 Recordings, Brooklyn, NY   2, 4, 6 (Sam Owens)
•     Figure 8 Recordings, Brooklyn, NY   1, 7, 9 (Lily Wen)
Record Label:   b
Duration:     51:02
Tracks:
01 Spectra   4:37
02 What’s My Name   5:53
03 A Seaworthy Native   7:09
04 Wounds Let in the Light   4:52
05 Chapters   4:43
06 Hearts Won’t Break   5:23
07 Ombré   3:28
08 The Trip   5:10
09 When It All Comes Down   5:50
10 Non~Profit Prince of Lexington   3:57
Written by:
•     Shane Endsley     1, 5, 8
•     Michael Mayo     2
•     Ben Wendel     3
•     Becca Stevens / Ben Wendel     4
•     Josh Dion / Kaveh Rastegar / Ben Wendel     6
•     Adam Benjamin     7, 10 
•     Gretchen Parlato / Ben Wendel     9
Credits:
•     Adam Benjamin Composer, Group Member, Keyboards
•     Oli Bentley Artwork
•     Gerald Clayton Piano
•     Josh Dion  Bass, Composer, Drums, Synthesizer, Vocals
•     Shane Endsley   Composer, Effects, Group Member, Trumpet
•     Kneebody Producer
•     Tom Korkidis Executive Producer
•     Michael Mayo Composer, Vocals
•     Sam Owens Engineer
•     Gretchen Parlato Bass, Composer, Vocals
•     Kaveh Rastegar Composer
•     Split Artwork
•     Dave Stapleton Executive Producer, Photography
•     Becca Stevens Composer, Vocals
•     Lily Wen Engineer
•     Ben Wendel Composer, Effects, Group Member, Saxophone
•     Nate Wood Bass, Drums, Engineer, Group Member, Mastering, Mixing
Endorsements:
•     Ben Wendel uses D’Addario reeds and products.
•     Shane Endsley plays JoRal mutes, Red Panda pedals.
•     Nate Wood plays Gretsch Drums, Istanbul Agop Cymbals, DW Hardware, Remo Drumheads, Promark Sticks and D’Addario Strings.
AllMusic Review by Matt Collar; Score: ****
••     Kneebody’s tenth studio album, 2019’s Chapters, is one of their most accessible albums to date, featuring a handful of guest vocalists on songs that ably straddle the line between hooky post~rock and exploratory jazz. It’s an aesthetic the forward~thinking Los Angeles outfit featuring saxophonist Ben Wendel, trumpeter Shane Endsley, keyboardist Adam Benjamin, drummer/bassist Nate Wood, and bassist Kaveh Rastegar have been forging since the early 2000s, combining fusion~esque group arrangements with propulsive exploratory improvisation. Chapters is no exception and in many ways showcases an almost perfect balance of compositional songwriting, post~bop soloing, and lyrical vocal melodies. The latter commands the most attention here as Kneebody bring on board guest singers Michael Mayo, Gretchen Parlato, Josh Dion, and singer/guitarist Becca Stevens, each of whom either wrote or co~wrote their song. All of these singers have a slightly different style and overall vibe, allowing Kneebody to color their sound in different ways.
••     Mayo’s “What’s My Name” has a flowing, contemporary R&B feel that Kneebody accents with a skittering electronic~inspired groove. Conversely, Stevens’ introspective “Wounds Let the Light In” features her circular guitar arpeggio and hushed vocals framed in vibrant trumpet and sax harmonies and spiraling keyboard solo, all of which brings to mind Joni Mitchell’s work with Wayne Shorter. Kneebody splits the difference with Parlato’s yearning “When It All Comes Down,” a slowly rolling anthem punctuated by gorgeously attenuated trumpet and sax accents, and dapples of spacy digital keyboards. There are also plenty of engaging instrumental tracks on Chapters, including the fuzz~tone raga of “Spectra,” “A Seaworthy Native” with its angular post~bop melody set against a cacophonous metallic funk rhythm, and the expansive “Ombre” with its languorously woozy horn and keyboard lines evoking Circle in the Round~era Miles Davis.
••     The juxtaposition between the instrumental and vocal tracks works nicely, and Chapters manages to be both surprisingly risk~taking and accessible at the same time.
••     https://www.allmusic.com/ 
Bandcamp: https://kneebody.bandcamp.com/album/chapters 
Website: https://www.kneebody.com/ 
Twitter: https://twitter.com/kneebody 
FB: https://www.facebook.com/Kneebody/ 

ALBUM COVERS XI.