November 2003

Truby Trio: Elevator Music

This is a good album, but not as good as I wanted it to be. After hearing great remixes and various songs by these guys for years, this, their debut album, disappoints somewhat. But like I said, it's a good album and definitely worth picking up.

I just wanted it to be better. Partially, I blame the Washington CityPaper, who gave it a great review. A whole page, at that. I was thinking this must be totally awesome. Instead it's just regular awesome. So, though I may be a bit disappointed, I should probably just shut the hell up and enjoy the album.

Part of what confuses my level of like for this album is that much of it sounds so familiar. I'm not sure if the end result of this is that Elevator Music is nothing new and a bit bland, or that it's pure genius. I'm leaning towards the later, as the familiarity I feel towards this music is based on sounds that I love.

Much of Elevator Music sounds to me as if it was recorded in years past. Maybe as early as five years ago. It has a definite mid-late 90's acid jazz vibe to it. To be more precise, acid jazz on a latin tip. Personally, I think that's some of the most enjoyable music ever created, so the more I think about it, the more I like this album.

There is also a distinct, though minor, 70's feel to Elevator Music. On "Universal Love", it's fairly over seeing as how it samples a disco track. And you can't blame one for mistaking "A Go Go" for a Willie Bobo song. It's extremely Nuyorican sounding. This isn't 70's as in cheesy rock or bad disco or run-of-the-mill porno music. The bit of the 70's heard here is definitely a positive influence.

But back to now. Elevator Music is still extremely contemporary sounding, despite Truby Trio's obvious familiarity with great music of the past. In a sense, this lends a certain timelessness to the album as a whole. Essentially, there are influences as contemporary as acid jazz, as timeless as latin sounds, and as precise as 70's soul. It words together perfectly.

Individually, tracks like the brilliant "Jaleo", "Alegre 2003," "A Festa," and "A Go Go" stand out as exceptional. All of these sound like something completely amazing you'd hear walking around some mind-blowing street festival in some undetermined South American country.

Clearly, the latin-tinged songs are my favorites on this album. Some of the other tracks, like "Cruisin'" are what lead to my sense of disappointment mentioned in the beginning of this review. This, and a few other songs, remind me too much of unexciting 80's synth pop run through a Funk/Soul Machine. The Funk/Soul Machine doesn't do enough to make these songs worth listening to over and over again. Fortunately, my CD players all have skip buttons.

Still, all in all, Truby Trio's "Elevator Music" is a album definitely worth owning. And as I listening to it all the way through while writing this, I am much more convince of Truby Trio's possible genius than just an hour ago. It's like that. A certain enigmatic quotient is never bad for an album.