The Crossing is the second full-length studio album by American rhythm and blues group Menahan Street Band. It has received positive reviews from critics.
| The Crossing | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | October 30, 2012 | |||
| Studio | Dunham Sound Studio, Brooklyn, New York City, New York, United States | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 38:43 | |||
| Label | Daptone/Dunham | |||
| Producer | Thomas Brenneck | |||
| Menahan Street Band chronology | ||||
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Reception
editAccording to the review aggregator Metacritic, The Crossing received "generally favorable reviews" based on a weighted average score of 79 out of 100 from 10 critic scores.[3] Editors at AllMusic rated this album 4 out of 5 stars, with critic Fred Thomas writing that this album "expands somewhat on the band's debut, with the group plucking inspiration from a wide spectrum of soul and funk subcategories" and the band "cultivates a rich collection of emotionally complex instrumental soul, with precise musicianship meeting inspired production and a deeply studied obsession with the often sampled and less often acknowledged obscure geniuses of soul music".[1] Len Comaratta of Consequence of Sound scored this album a B, noting the band's non-soul influences and states that a "slightly haunting, lower-timbre" runs through most of the album.[4] In The Irish Times, Jim Carroll gave The Crossing 4 out of 5 stars, characterizing the music: "these tight, moody, sumptuous instrumentals are widescreen, cinematic pace-setters, with detailed, punchy, textured playing that draws you in and allows the drama to unfold".[5] Elias Leight of PopMatters gave this release an 8 out of 10, stating that this work "once again shows their talent at creating tight instrumental funk" with music "buoyed by firm backbeats and highly synchronized horn section".[2]
Track listing
editAll songs written by Menahan Street Band.
- "The Crossing" – 5:04
- "Lights Out" – 2:35
- "Keep Coming Back" – 3:16
- "Three Faces" – 4:34
- "Sleight of Hand" – 3:00
- "Everyday a Dream" – 3:51
- "Seven Is the Wind" – 5:06
- "Bullet for the Bagman" – 2:57
- "Driftwood" – 3:39
- "Ivory and Blue" – 3:36
- "Ivory and Blue (reprise)" – 1:05
Personnel
editMenahan Street Band
- Thomas Brenneck – autoharp, bass guitar, guitar, electric piano, synthesizer, ukulele, mixing, production
- Mike Deller – piano
- Dave Guy – trumpet
- Leon Michels – organ, tenor saxophone
- Nick Movshon – bass guitar, drums
- Homer Steinweiss – drums, package design
Additional personnel
- Victor Axelrod – organ
- The Bushwick Philharmonic – philharmonic orchestra on "Lights Out"
- Antoine Silverman – violin
- Entcho Todorov – violin
- Anja Wood – viola
- John Carbonella – package design
- Bobby Chupete – congas on "Ivory and Blue"
- Cochemea Gastelum – flute on "Sleight of Hand"
- JJ Golden – mastering
- Gabriel Roth – executive production, mixing
- Sugarman – executive production
- Jared Tankel – baritone saxophone on "Sleight of Hand"
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ a b c Thomas, Fred (n.d.). "Menahan Street Band – The Crossing". AllMusic. RhythmOne. Retrieved September 17, 2023.
- ^ a b Leight, Elias (October 28, 2012). "The Menahan Street Band: The Crossing". Reviews. PopMatters. Retrieved September 17, 2023.
- ^ "The Crossing by Menaham Street Band Reviews and Tracks – Metacritic". Metacritic. Fandom, Inc. n.d. Retrieved September 17, 2023.
- ^ Comaratta, Len (October 12, 2012). "Menahan Street Band – The Crossing". Reviews > Album Reviews. Consequence of Sound. Retrieved September 17, 2023.
- ^ Carroll, Jim (December 21, 2012). "Menahan Street Band". Music. The Irish Times. ISSN 0791-5144. Retrieved September 17, 2023.
External links
edit- The Crossing at Discogs (list of releases)
- The Crossing at MusicBrainz (list of releases)
