Posted on 04/16/2009
Anyone remotely familiar with the work of multi-instrumentalist Shawn Lee knows that the man’s got soul. His discography is dripping with the funk. His calling card style relies heavily on tight drum breaks, only the horniest of horns, and a healthy amount of analog grit thrown into his typically smooth productions. The dude’s got more soul than a sock with a hole.

So it should come as no surprise that Lee’s latest Ubiquity effort, the aptly-titled Soul In The Hole, delivers on all counts. Crafted as a tribute to Lee’s favorite sounds of the past, the album is an homage to soul from the late 1960s to the 1980s.

And this time around, Lee has more to draw upon outside of his deftly arranged instrumentals. Having hand-selected a variety of vocalists from around the globe (including Paul Butler, Darondo, Nicole Willis, and Fanny Franklin), the songs on Soul In The Hole are given a whole new life by the variety of voices and personalities expressed throughout the 11 songs. It’d be easy to mistake any of these tracks for a b-side off some rare soul 45.

Granted, in a post-Daptone era, that’s certainly not the most novel concept, but it’s really counter-productive to walk into the Soul In The Hole experience with any sort of intention to analyze or pick apart; this is music to groove to, the perfect soundtrack for the chilled out house party Saturday night and for the cleanup the next morning. As per usual, Shawn Lee isn’t afraid of putting his foot deep into the dirt on these jams – and as listeners, we’re all better for it.

- Sean Kantrowitz