The Ray Mann Three – The Ray Mann Three (Self Titled)

This is the musical equivalent of sex on a summer’s afternoon. It’s laid back, it’s funky, it’s sexy, it climaxes at all the right moments and as the title of track 3 says it “Feels So Good”.

Within thirty seconds of the CD starting I was grooving along in my chair and checking their website to find out when they’re next performing live. If this is how good theses boys are on a recording I’m salivating over the prospect of a live show.

There is a special balance achieved by this trio, each of them contributing just enough to the musical landscape but leaving enough space for each other’s playing to shine. Byron Luiters deep basslines creep along below Ray Mann’s soulful, laid-back guitar licks and Bart Denaro’s jazzy drumming. Ray Mann’s voice is like honey – sweet, smooth and natural however all three contribute vocals and this makes for a nice full sound with some really effective call and response sequences.

I’m not always the biggest soul music fan but this album got under my skin in a very pleasant way. If you need a little bit of loving put this album on and be seduced.

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