The Greyboy Allstars: Get a Job: Music From the Original Broadcast Series Soul Dream

The Greyboy Allstars: Get a Job: Music From the Original Broadcast Series Soul Dream

Like a lot of acts during the pandemic, The Greyboy Allstars developed a unique live-streaming series that found the funky five-piece performing in their studio. Dubbed the “Soul Dream,” these special engagements were broken up into four equal parts, where two nights featured originals and two nights featured covers, either live favorites or songs associated with the famed Prestige Records. The 51-minute Get a Job compiles 10 tracks from those cover sessions into a tight, compact set, emulating the jazzy interpretations that masters like Grant Green and Kenny Burrell used to do back in the day. The most well-known selection is a ripping version of The Beatles’ “Taxman”—Elgin Park and Robert Walter play off of each other in ferocious fashion throughout the four-minute micro-jam. Other highlights include a groovy take on Gene Ammons’ “Jug Eyes” and a slow and mellow version of Gary Bartz’s “I’ve Known Rivers,” with Karl Denson taking lead vocal duties before blowing a whimsical sounding sax solo. (“Lady Day and Coltrane,” a tune from Gil-Scott Heron’s 1971 debut, Pieces of a Man, is another showcase for Denson’s soulful vocals to shine.) What ultimately stands out about Get a Job is that the band has played this material for years—decades in some cases—and they sound incredibly timeless. It is a talent that The Greyboy Allstars have perfected over the years and, although the songs here were originally streamed live, the sound is very much that of a polished studio take. Get a Job is another classic addition to the band’s catalog.

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