GROOVE ASSOCIATION are a hard working modern soul band that operate in the London area. Led by the redoubtable GEORGE BROMFIELD (Georgie B), their live shows are always sell-out affairs while their recordings are always eagerly anticipated.
The last 18 months have been both busy and traumatic for the Association. Back in 2015 they increased their fan base with the single ‘Ain’t No Stoppin’ Us’…. no, nothing to do with the great Philly oldie but just as infectious. Then, as George and the band were building up a head of steam, poor Mr B suffered a heart attack which meant a couple of weeks in hospital! The experience prompted George to craft a new song… ‘My Destiny’. Its obvious EWF flavours won it loads of airplay but more importantly, George thinks, all net profits from the single were donated to the British Heart Foundation… his way of saying thank you to the doctors, nurses and all the other teams who saved his life.
Now stronger than ever, George and Groove Association have just released a great, new 15 track album, ‘Soul Family Affair’. Serious soul collectors will already be familiar with the LP’s title cut, a clever, tight, modern soul beater, which takes more than a little from the Sly Stone classic! Radio and club friendly, ‘Soul Family Affair’ also features a lovely, jazzy sax break.
The cut is one of many highlights on a great long player. There’s more fuel for the feet on ‘One For The Money’ while new mixes of ‘Soul Family Affair’ and ‘Ain’t No Stoppin’ Us’ will keep the rug cutters happy.
The album also boasts some sweet ballads – notably ‘Secret Love’ (a duet with Deborah Bell) and the electro-tinged ‘Slow Dance’. Worth checking too are the mid-tempo soul grooves ‘I Gotta Thing For You’ and the sax-led ‘Mystery Girl’. For extra variety you also get an intriguing semi-instrumental, ‘London City Nights’… a touch of Shakatak, though with a whole lot more soul!
Dip in anywhere, though, and you won’t find a dud…. Groove Association’s ‘Soul Family Affair’ LP is a gem of an album and though coming right at year end, it’s definitely in my list of 2016’s very best.
Investigate @ www.georgieb.info
