KARLOS EDWARDS is a UK musical multi-tasker who had his music baptism in the Church! As a youth though he was enraptured by the sounds of people like Stevie and Earth Wind and Fire and he learned drums and percussion, hoping one day to break into secular music. He didn’t have to wait long. His skills quickly became well-known and he was soon playing sessions with people like Aztec Camera, Robert Palmer, Take That, Olly Murs, Will Young, Loose Ends, Beverly Knight, Mark Ronson, the Brand New Heavies and many more!
Karlos quickly learned his way round other instruments too and began making his own music and last year released two well-received singles – a cover of Stevie’s ‘Summer Soft’ (with a lovely vocal from Everett Peters) and an imaginative, ‘With You’ which featured a sweet, soulful vocal from Elle Cato.
Both those tunes are featured on Mr. E’s new album, ‘Welcome To My World’ which has just been released via Digital Jukebox Records. They still sound fresh and vital – a couple of good ‘uns but there’s plenty more to enjoy.
The album opens with the LP’s title track – a tight, beat-i-ful soul groove. It starts off as if it’s going to be an instrumental, till the vocal simply bids us welcome to this musical world. There follows a welcoming rap – but it works, adding to the warm welcome to the album – an album , that we need to say, offers plenty of variety.
So, ‘Do Not Disturb’ is a catchy instrumental in the manner of the Mizells or the Blackbyrds. ‘Skyn Tight’ is another instrumental – loose and funky and brassy (homage to the Ohio Players?). ’Havana’ is the album’s nod to Latin while ‘Journey To Candolim’ is quirky – aimed at the chill out brigade. Then there’s two almost “oddities”. ‘Nostalgia’ is a percussive affair but with acoustic guitar and accordion (we think!) there’s a definite whiff of strolling the Parisan boulevards about it. Maybe the inspiration was some classic French movies. We’re definitely off to the movies, though, on ‘Time To Let Go’… very cinematic.
Our highlight amongst the 11 tracks is ‘For This Love’. It’s a big, brassy mid-tempo affair – maybe Tower of Power in a mellower moment with a simple, sweet vocal on the chorus. The brass riffing here is so, so catchy. With a fuller vocal this was released by the Paradise Projex on their debut EP and it featured on the 2022 edition of Expansion’s ‘Luxury Soul’ compliation series. Worth checking out!
KARLOS EDWARDS ‘Welcome To My World out now via Digital Jukebox Records
