Menahan Street Band – Seven Is The Wind
I’ve had this record for so long I thought it was NEVER goign to actually come out so I could sing it’s praises. The sophomore released from Brooklyn’s Menahan Street Band builds and deepens on the instrumental soul sound from their all-world debut Make The Road By Walking. With members spread out to other Daptone related bands such as the Dap Kings, Antibalas and the Budos Band, you should be surprised to have elements of each of those in the mix here. “The Crossing” represents a slightly darker tone than “Make The Road,” particularly in evidence on my favorite track on the record, “Seven Is The Wind,” with it’s Ennio Morricone vibe to it in the slide guitar. It’s often the little moments, the way the horns reach up to the sky, the crisp pop of the drums or psychedelic washes from the organ, that I find make Menahan’s sound so engrossing. There’s such a fantastic attention to detail that you just can’t help but marvel at the finished product. No sophomore slump here, the Crossing is one of 2012’s best.