Domu presents Pete Simpson – Look a Little Further

Release date: 24 September 2020
Format: Album
Genre: Soul
Our Rating: 1/5

This is tuneful background dinner party music at it best, pleasant but totally non-descript.

It’s soulful and at certain points it’s quite jazzy, but like the worst elements of jazz it’s also quite self-indulgent. These guys are making music to please themselves, you can almost see the self-congratulatory nodding in the studio as they laid down the tracks.

Pete Simpson’s voice compliments the music but is not exceptional, there’s no great range and it’s hard to see why Domu felt he merited a whole album of his efforts.

John Prendergast, MyVillage

Press Release:
Trends in commercial music come and go, but artists with passion are still making music from the heart that transcends the fashion of the moment. ‘Look A Little Further’ is most certainly an album from the heart, delivering a contemporary take on classic soul with no concessions to the pop market. In ‘Look A Little Further’; the pair have created a soul album with a positive message, with lyrics that encourage and nurture, and a sound that will stand the test of time.

With Domu’s tight drum production ethic, the dulcet tones of Pete Simpson and the talents of Mike Patto (Reel People) and Pete Kuzma (Jill Scott) Domu produces some of the most forward thinking soul music ever committed to tape. This forthcoming album showcases their future soul style. Tapping into the best of UK and Philly soul with underlying strains of hope and inspiration, the album looks set to launch Simpson as a vocal force to be reckoned with.

The title track is written with a Martin Luther King speech in mind and Simpson’s true soul voice manages to retain some of the grit of subject matter before shining on ‘Second Chance’ and ‘Coming Back Around’.

Domu is Dominic Stanton, one of the most credible independent DJ/producers to come out of the underground dance music scene in recent years. He is an exciting and versatile producer who has over a decade of experience making some of the hottest beats in underground dance music. Dom is maturing in his musical development and this album reveals a heart of soul beating inside him – indeed his earliest musical influences were the soul sounds of Motown.

Diversity is key in Pete Simpson’s musical development and he displayed a willingness to listen to many styles from a young age. Originally from a small Yorkshire town, he moved to Sheffield and through the church discovered gospel music, touring for ten years in this vein doing all the major festivals. Eventually the restrictive doctrines of the church spurred Pete onto another path in music: he discovered Marvin Gaye, Donny Hathaway, Stevie Wonder, Aretha Franklin and knew this was the music he wanted to make. Soul music.

Pete has collaborated with numerous artists and producers, working with names such as Jon Cutler, Joey Negro, Seamus Haji, Mark Rae (of Rae & Christian fame), Jocelyn Brown, D Ramirez, Nightmares on Wax and Reel People. 2007 will also see him continue his work with The Unabombers as a member of their Elektrons outfit.

www.myspace.com/domupresentspetesimpson 

>>Back to all Music Reviews
 

MyVillage, 18th September