CQQL US Vinyl & CDs

Review: Robert Chini (pronounced keeney), a native of Southern California, is a multi-instrumentalist and singer/songwriter who began his musical journey as a drummer at the age of five. With a star-studded career as a touring member of many a famous band including Peaches And Herb, Tower Of Power and Air Supply, Chini's efforts have still yet to falter or fly under the radar; quite to the contrary, he's still going strong, currently performing as both a solo artist and studio operator. 'Doin' It all For You' was written and recorded in 1979, while the B-sider here, 'Everlasting Love', was written and recorded three years earlier. Both songs hear Chini sing of commitment and dedication to love, narrating a journey from internal preoccupation with the self to finding a sense of eternity in devotion to another.

Review: First Timers is a destined collaboration between two accomplished producers Andreas Stevens (aka DJ Greyboy) and Brian Ellis. Setting out to create timeless music using only the finest vintage hardware gear, they've conjured a stunning debut bridging a gap between funk and AOR/Soft Rock. First Timers unleash onto the world a 45 housing the working man's anthem 'Three Day Weekend' and Stone City-inspired 'Out The Sheath'. Both tracks feature live horn arrangements by the Black Thor Horn Section, an attribute as rare as the vintage synths and drum machines used to craft these tunes.

Review: Still active on the scene, McKenzie & Gardiner are a UK-based electro, funk and boogie duo. Prior to the turn of the century, they'd only released one single, 'From Time' - an impeccable-quality UK boogie tune meditating on the passage of time and its mediation on an important romantic relationship. Ironically, lots of time has passed since then, and the pair's obsession with time doesn't seem to have stopped them from biding it. Now, after honing their craft for so long, we finally get their first official album, 'Timestamp', unveiling the official and mastered versions of precious songs that otherwise existed as raw demos.

Review:  Morris Mobley is an alter-ego who makes music that is designed to chill you to the bone while also blowing your mind. Words like suave, cosmopolitan, lustrous and precise all come to mind when listening to the two tracks that make up this tidy 7", the second on the US label CQQL. Opener 'What's On Your Mind' is a low slung, bumping groove with lo-fi production and an aching vocal and on the flip it gets stripped right back and made into a warm, romantic late night dub.

Review: 'Midnight Driver’ is the new single from London-based soft-rock, disco, and funk specialist Joel Sarakula. The track is a soft-rock fantasy in which the narrator laments his lover's nocturnal habits; Californian sun-kissed guitars, smooth vocal stylings, and Latin percussion all blend into a cinematic mood (and a great driving song). On the flipside is 'I'm Still Winning', a '70s disco-inspired track on which Sarakula is heard fully immersed in the shady underbelly of casinos and high-stakes gambling. Resembling a defiant riposte from the title character of The Eagles' 'Desperado', Sarakula sings with a vocal channeling '70s icons Boz Scaggs and Ned Doheny.