SOWECO – Keep On 


If I was going to sum this album up in one word it would be “smooth.”

If I was pushed to expand on that, I’d probably go for “damn smooth!”

Okay, you are going to need more than that but smooth is certainly the watch word here and when you then realise that the band name is an acronym for “So West Coast” then it all makes sense. The west coast in question being that of sun kissed California and the vibe being so laid back that the band are virtually horizontal.

The album does take a bit of finding, especially if you want to dip your toes in its sonic waters before deciding whether you are going to commit to a purchase, in fact, it seems to have a subdued on line presence on par with that normally reserved for winners of The Voice!

However, once you do track it down, you are in for a real treat.

SOWECO has already laid down a solid reputation for creating music which weaves smooth jazz-infused vibes through soulful grooves, tipping their hat to the greats of the past along the way but working in a very contemporary musical landscape. And while they stay fairly tight to their musical brief, there is still plenty of room for variation from the lilting but understated Good Ol’ Love to the funky drive of Lucky Charm and from the nostalgic soul ballad that is Forget For A Moment to the infectious vibrant groove of the title track.

If you find the term jazz off-putting, if it conjures images of complex and convoluted meandering music, of music made for musicians, of indulgences that serve the player rather than the song, then SOWECO are the perfect introduction to a more accessible side of the genre. Yes, jazz is a major component of what they do, but it is so blissed out on sunshine drenched soul music, so balanced by pop sensitive structures and commercially viable attitudes that it will make you look upon the whole genre very differently.

In a seedier part of town, such music might almost be seen as a gateway drug to the edgier highs of jazz, if you know what I mean.

Listen on iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com