Vick Lavender :: "Kaylynn's Thing"
Review by Terry Matthew | Published January 2007 | Review Archives
It's always a good month when there's something from Mr. A.L.I.'s Vick Lavender in the review queue. Another single from his forthcoming solo album (see story, p. 11), I love the loose experimentation and freedom of all of the tracks I've hear so far, and "Kaylynn's Thing" (there must be a story behind that title) is no different. Heavy on the funk, that organ makes another appearance to fatten up the groove. There's no vocal - and I think it'd take away from the track if there was any. I'm trying to put my finger on what's so different about these tracks from Vick's latest solo work, and I want to say that it has something to do with the way he's letting all of these instruments sing. It's not strictly instrumental solos or jams (though you can't deny the jazzy vibe), but the way that each player seems to take over the song for a spell, riffing on the general theme, testing out the sound of their own "voice" while contributing to the overall piece. It's the sound of a mature arrangement and a producer that's really come into his own.