The Rebirth – This Journey In, World Cafe Live, Breakastra

The Rebirth @ SOUL-PATROL

The Rebirth out of Soutyhern California is one of the most exciting bands around. Their CD is off the hook and their live performance will take you back to the days when you could walk away from a show and pay to see them again the very next day if you could…

–Bob Davis

earthjuice@prodigy.net

Concert Review: The Rebirth @ World Cafe Live in Philly (2/28/2006)

George Clinton once asked the question….

"Is there FUNK after death"?

Well my friends, tonight THE REBIRTH came into town and KILLED PHILADELPHIA (so I guess the answer to George’s question is YES????)

I mean they dropped an ATOM (funk) BOMB on the city tonight.

A few weeks ago I reviewed their CD and I thought it was great. Now I have seen them live and I’m telling yall…

THEY KICKED MUCHO MACHO BE-HIND

In the review I wrote of their CD I compared them to artists like Roy Ayres, Lonnie Liston Smith, Norman Connors/Michael Henderson, and Bobby Humphries.

After seeing them perform live I would have to say that I shortchanged them. What they really are is not easy to categorize. It’s kinda like pieces of everything that you like about Soul and Funk and Jazz, both separately and combined together.

It’s like Mandrill without a horn section

or maybe EWF’s first two albums

or a little Rotary Connection

or Brand New Heavies

or Sade

or the Blackbyrds

or Rufus

or the whole damn CTI label

Not separately, but all mixed together, strong musicianship, strong singing, a truly "unified band". I’m not even sure at this point All I know is that I had my mind blown tonight and I felt like I had been a part of a historic event

Tonight I felt at times like I had discovered something that had been lost. Or perhaps it wasn’t really lost. Just hidden from our collective view and waiting for exactly the right set of individuals to give it life once again.

Perhaps it really is time for a REBIRTH of our music?

We will have more at Soul-Patrol on THE REBIRTH, including an audio interview with them. And thanks to our friend, DJ Junior of recordbreakin.com for pulling together everything tonight and photographer Ron Nichols.

Bob Davis:

earthjuice@prodigy.net

Album Review: The Rebirth – "This Journey In"

Anyone here remember the glory days of Roy Ayres, Lonnie Liston Smith, Norman Connors/Micheal Henderson, Bobby Humphries? Well if you remember that type of music and it brings a smile to your face. The Rebirth – "This Journey In" is not quite "soul", it’s not quite "funk", and it’s not quite "jazz". Not surprisingly this group has it’s roots in the Acid Jazz scene of the early 1990’s. It’s hypnotic it’s erotic (thanks to the vocals of (Noelle Scaggs) in a way that sends you into another dimension of time and space. I guess this CD will have to be marketed as "neo soul" and that is indeed unfortunate, because it deserves to stand on it’s own as a continuation of the historical legacy of a type of music from the late 1970’s whose objective was to elevate the thought process while entertaining you. Buy the album, then thro it into your Saturday night Roy Ayres, Lonnie Liston Smith, Norman Connors/Micheal Henderson, Bobby Humphries mix and see if you don’t agree?