TRISTAN is a Dutch soul and funk band. At the core are drummer, Sebastian Cornelissen and bassist Frans Vollink who came together in the early noughties via a mutual love of soul and funk. Then with keyboardist Coen Molenaar on board they built a repuation for their skillfuly crafted soul and funk . They have six albums under their belt and now, with Guy Nikkels on guitar and soulful voclaist Jaycilee Teterissa out front, they’ve just released a new long player, imaginativley titlted ‘Seven’.
The album has been preceeded by a trio of singles…’Something Like This’, ‘Shadows In The Moonlight’ and ‘ Diamonds’. The three tunes typfy the Tristan sound. The first two are bright and brash, optimsitc and “up” while ‘Diamonds’ is a tad funkier… chinking guitar and tight beats. And the album offers plenty more of the same bright, fresh, “up” soul alongside funkier items. So, ‘Tell Me’ features more of Nikkels’ funky guitar as does ‘Burned Chicken’ – and anyone who can make a song out of that title desserves a pat on the back. ‘Italian Shower’ is another odd title for a song – but Tristan pull it off. There’s more Tristan bightness on ‘Another Season’ and the more mid tempo, ‘A New Dream Rises’.
Then for real variety there are two cuts that offer surprises. ‘The Soul Of A Man’ is a deep, mournful ballad. With simple piano accompaniment from Coen Molenaar, it’s a great vehicle for Ms Teterissa to show what she can do. She’s more or less absent, however, on the album’s other surprise cut… ‘Don’t Skip This’. This one is a, loose jazzy workout showcasing (again) the keyboard dexteriy of Mr Molenaar. The haunting, spoken word parts add intrigue to a cut that brings real variety and another focus to ‘Seven’. You’d be daft to skip the track… indeed and daft to skip the album. Out this Friday, 3rd march.
Tristan are about to embark on a major tour, taking in some UK venues. Learn more @ https://www.tristanmusic.eu/
(BB) 4/5
