Carl Baldasarre – Deep Grooves, Vol 1

Carl Baldasarre describes his music as being “somewhere between Xmas and being burnt alive.” His back catalogue is the dictionary definition of diverse, embracing everything from prog rock to the classics and all points in-between as he refuses to allow himself to be “bound inside the limits of any genre”.

Deep Grooves, Vol 1 is the outcome of a project which was three years in the making. It’s an album which explores “the irresistible pull of catchy grooves, lyrics and melodies in an R&B, soul and funk style.” There’s certainly a groove all right. This is plainly evident in the track ‘Keep the Groove Alive,’ which is so full of groove there’s almost a rut running through the middle. As Baldasarre says, “I wanted an album which drew from the chemistry found in the great R&B, soul and funk of the 60’s/70’s”.

To do this, he’s used some top-grade help, notably Jacob Dupre on keyboards and bass, as well as top prog drum man Nick D’Virgilio, who’s played with Genesis and Big Big Train, and while the work of Dupre is noticeable, it’s hard to hear where D’Virgilio fitted in.

Baldasarre states his claim from the opening song, ‘Keep It Up,’ which is very 70s disco and could almost be a ‘Thriller’ outtake. His intent to ‘groove’ is made clear, and this is repeated all the way through the album. Lots of groove and lots of funk. His influences can be felt right through the album, from the Stylistics-sounding ‘Famous,’ to the Earth Wind & Fire-inflected ‘Heaven’. There are some lovely guitar licks in tracks like Joy Ride and good use of brass on the slower ‘Forever With You’. The album concludes with the laid-back, jazzy instrumental, ‘Blue Space,’ which has the soft feel of Steely Dan.

Deep Groove, Vol 1, most definitely has its roots deep in the 70s, and Baldasarre has done a credible job in reprising the music of this decade. If you’re a fan of the soul & funk groove of the 70s, this is an album you’ll really like.