Soulive
By All Music Guide
By All Music Guide
Though originally from Vermont, Soulive is essentially Boston-based as well. The band toured with and/or opened for a number of notables (including John Scofield, Maceo Parker, los Lobos, Derek Trucks, and Robben Ford) before headlining their own shows and releasing their introductory EP Get Down in 1999. Their debut full-length release, Turn it Out, followed the next year. Doin Something, featuring John Scofield, was issued in March 2001.
Soulive is all about danceable, organ-driven instrumental groove-jazz. Their success is a result of fusing the soul jazz of the past with a modern hip-hop feel. Krasnos spidery yet very direct guitar lines recall Grant Green. The rhythmic concepts employed date back to those learned from artists such as James Brown, Stevie Wonder, and Sly Stone.
Their first release was a self-pressed EP entitled Get Down!. The bands full length debut, Turn It Out (featuring John Scofield) was released on the Velour label in 2000. That release generated such a buzz that they were promptly picked up by Blue Note, who released Doin Something in early 2001. About a year later, Next was released, followed by Soulive in 2003.
