Latest soul, jazz and funk combo to come blazing of Australia is THE PUTBACKS. I’m guessing that they’re the same Putbacks that backed Emma Donovan a few years back. Whatever, right now the band is here there and everywhere promoting their eponymous long player. The quintet are pitching themselves as a kind of “house” band in the style of say, the MGs or the Meters but they don’t say what “house” they’re the band of.
Musically they describe their sound as “crunchy post soul, post jazz, mystery cinema”... not quite sure what that means but what they offer on this 16 tracker is a set of experimental soul, jazz and funk instrumentals (mainly) that do have a vaguely cinematic feel. We say “mainly” because there is one vocal track…. a rocky, spaced out ‘The Ways’ which features Bilal.
“Spaced out” is maybe a good way to describe the Putbacks sound so it’s a relief to hear something a little mellower – like the string drenched ‘No Man’ and the cool ‘Slowes Slow Dance’.
The Putbacks, by the way, are Tom Martin (guitar), Rory McDougal (drums), Mick Meacher (bass), Justin Marshall (percussion) and Simon Mavin(keys) and ‘The Putbacks’ album is out now on Hope Street Recordings.
