Positivity (album)

Positivity
Studio album by
Incognito
Released1993
GenreAcid jazz
Length66:27
LabelTalkin' Loud
Verve Forecast
ProducerJean-Paul "Bluey" Maunick
Incognito chronology
Tribes, Vibes + Scribes
(1992) 		Positivity
(1993) 		100 Degrees and Rising
(1995)

Positivity is an album by the British band Incognito, released in 1993.[1][2] The band supported the album with a North American tour.[3]

The album peaked at No. 55 on the UK Albums Chart.[4] It has sold more than 350,000 copies in the United States.[5]

Production

The album was produced by band leader Jean-Paul "Bluey" Maunick.[6] He was chiefly inspired by Stevie Wonder's Talking Book and Innervisions.[7]

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[8]
Calgary HeraldB[9]
The Encyclopedia of Popular Music[6]
MusicHound R&B: The Essential Album Guide[10]
USA Today[11]

The Washington Post wrote that "the band mines familiar funk grooves with more than enough imagination and horn power to keep things fresh."[12] The Calgary Herald praised the "free flowing numbers that eschew harder edge riffs for music suited more for spliffs."[9] USA Today stated that "the commercially oriented backbeats and vocals (more singing than on their previous two albums) are counterbalanced by a tight horn section and jazzy, crisp arrangements."[11]

The Orange County Register opined that "the strength lies in vocalists Maysa Leak and Mark Anthoni, whose rich-sounding voices glide through each track as easily as a hot spoon through ice cream."[13] The Atlanta Journal-Constitution listed Positivity as one of the best R&B albums of 1994.[14]

AllMusic wrote that "group leader Jean-Paul 'Bluey' Maunick's vision of intertwine various genres of music (bebop, soul, classical, dance, etc.) into one incomparable sound is exemplary."[8] MusicHound R&B: The Essential Album Guide called "Deep Waters" a "landmark acid-jazz track."[10]

Track listing

No.TitleLength
1."Step into My Life"4:13
2."Still a Friend of Mine"5:37
3."Smiling Faces"5:09
4."Where Do We Go from Here"5:21
5."Positivity"3:51
6."Inversions"5:54
7."Givin' It Up"5:08
8."Talkin' Loud"3:28
9."Deep Waters"6:37
10."Do Right"5:29
11."Pieces of a Dream"4:19
12."Thinking 'Bout Tomorrow"5:53
13."Keep the Fires Burning"5:20
Total length:66:27

Charts

Chart (1993) Peak
position
Australian Albums (ARIA)[15] 108
UK (Official Charts) 55

References

  1. ^ "Incognito Biography & History". AllMusic.
  2. ^ Smith, Andrew (2 June 1995). "Still rising after all these years: Andrew Smith talks to Bluey Maunick, the Mr Consistency of jazz fusion". Features. The Guardian. p. 18.
  3. ^ Stoute, Lenny (19 May 1994). "Incognito came to the Palladium with a rep as acid-jazz veterans...". Toronto Star. p. J11.
  4. ^ "Incognito Full Official Chart History". www.officialcharts.com.
  5. ^ Thompson, Dave (August 19, 2001). Funk. Hal Leonard Corporation – via Google Books.
  6. ^ a b Larkin, Colin (2006). The Encyclopedia of Popular Music. Vol. 4. MUZE. p. 468.
  7. ^ Murray, Sonia (6 May 1994). "Acid jazz: Hard to define, easy on the ears". The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. p. P9.
  8. ^ a b "Positivity". AllMusic.
  9. ^ a b Muretich, James (1 May 1994). "Recent Releases". Calgary Herald. p. C2.
  10. ^ a b MusicHound R&B: The Essential Album Guide. Visible Ink Press. 1998. p. 281.
  11. ^ a b Jones IV, James T. (20 Apr 1994). "A trio of jazz funk crowd-pleasers". USA Today. p. 6D. ProQuest 306694647.
  12. ^ Joyce, Mike (13 May 1994). "Inventive Incognito". The Washington Post. p. N16.
  13. ^ Montero, David (April 22, 1994). "Galliano, Incognito albums blend a heap of influences". Show. Orange County Register. p. 48.
  14. ^ Murray, Sonia (25 Dec 1994). "The Year's Best". The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. p. K14.
  15. ^ "Incognito ARIA chart history to 2024". ARIA. Retrieved 21 July 2024 – via Imgur.com. N.B. The High Point number in the NAT column represents the release's peak on the national chart.