REVIEW: ELECTRIC WIRE HUSTLE

Electric Wire Hustle
Electric Wire Hustle
BBE

New Zealand based trio Electric Wire Hustle’s debut is a soulful set coming in at just under an hour, simultaneously reminiscent of J Dilla’s late 90’s productions, D’Angelo’s seminal Voodoo and Sa-Ra’s recent Nuclear Evolution. In fact the horns in ‘Gimme That Kinda’ sound almost identical to the opening of Common’s Like Water For Chocolate, begging the question how Electric Wire Hustle hoped to distinguish themselves from their composite of influences. In general they manage to stay the right side of straight tribute, drawing on a wealth of talent in guests such as Stacey Epps and Georgia Ann Muldrow; the band’s lush, bass-heavy instrumentation providing a suitable bed for the multi-tracked rambling of Muldrow in particular.

Infuriatingly the sequencing of album feels skewed at times. Late track ‘They Don’t Want’ is a real standout with its filtered fanfares, subtle traces of strings and generously layered soul vocals, however for some utterly astounding reason it is shoved at the back end of the album. There are a few lacklustre moments towards the end as well – for example, ‘Burn’, a stodgy paint-by-numbers anti-war song could have done with being left off the album entirely. On the whole however, the album stands as a solid debut – and though Electric Wire Hustle may sound like a patchwork of their influences, they offer enough originality and enthusiasm to carry it off.

Andrew Spragg

Filed under: Reviews by J.G.