Project Blackbird are musical tightrope walkers. Over their three album releases to date they have managed to weave a delicious mix of styles such as reggae, soul, jazz-rock and trip-hop. Their new album True Names opens with the clarion call of ‘Thank You For The Last Time’, announcing in style that they have lost none of the quality on show in their previous releases. If the band were interior designers everything in your home would be perfectly chosen, precisely placed, and the feng shui would make your cosmic alignment millimetre perfect.
Quite often in reviews the songs take centre stage, but I wanted to spend some time singing the praises of the band. They have the skill to bring subtlety and emotion to their playing, and regardless of their ability they all serve the song not the ego of the player. Jon Read on flugelhorn has a breath-taking understanding of when to underplay for effect, as on ‘Carmen’, when to apply enough power on a track like ‘Thank You For The First Time’ to make your windows bend out of their frames, and then bring harmony horns on ‘The Magic Pebble’ that are pure manuka honey. Eddie Dublin on drums can hang back on a beat before dropping in the perfect kit flourish; he keeps the tension between jazz and reggae perfectly but can also bring splashy 80s power-drums to the title track and with Jamie Varley on bass dancing around round the beats using solid roots and bouncing tunes, it’s a perfect rhythm section that would get a nod of approval from Sly & Robbie.
There are not many guitarists like Alan Roberts, players who have the sensitivity to haunt the shadows on songs like ‘Such A diffident Child’, playing delicate accompaniment with trills, effects, subtle wah-wah chords and slides which create a perfect landscape for the rest of the song but then give Eddie Van Halen a run for his money on ‘Radical Engines’ and the cascade notes on the final track ‘Listen’. Technique is nothing with the feel to go with it and Alan has the precision of a silversmith combined with the bravado of a fighter pilot. And over all arrangements flies the vocals of Ming Nagel. Her voice is never raised in anger though her words might show truth to power. She threads poetry and social commentary together, mixing allusion and reality with panache and whether its singing or spoken word she melds the mellifluous with the melodious.
Having previously released ‘Shake These Trees’ featuring The Specials’ Lynval Golding, the band are also no strangers to tackling race issues. One of the standout tracks on True Names is ‘115th Street’ which opens with rapper 1/2 Pint delivering some raw vocals including the opening salvo, “I pledge allegiance to my people, we fight ‘til we’re equal / if all lives matter, we must take a stand / or live on your knees – protect the black man / protect the black man”.
The fluidity of how they stir musical styles into their music is heady with flashes of Sade, Steely Dan, Nuyorican Soul, Smoke City and Lily Allen swirling around something that is ultimately all Project Blackbird.
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Review by Paul F Cook
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What a tremendously thoughtful and generous review, Paul. Thank you from all of us, with great respect and musical solidarity – Ming, Jon, Jamie, Alan, and Eddie