J Davis* – Proper Things

i love this album! :: ))))) love and emotion!!! .

Proper Things here is far and away the stand out track for me. Doing an impeccable job of nailing a sound that, almost exclusively, was rooted and grown in the UK. Impressively, this track sounds like it easily could've found its home on a number of the main UK labels driving the scene forward at the time. The fact this was actually released on a San Fran label blows my mind.

Anyway, the tune itself is wicked, with all the key elements of the genre at the time; ethereal pads/vocals that make it hard to distinguish where one ends and the other starts, a catchy melodic lead that elevates the emotional content and some technical wizardry to create the dynamics that keep things evolving as the track progresses. I especially love the simple, rolling choppage on the break here, never getting too mad or overbearing, it just rolls along perfectly to keep things buoyant. Even the time stretched vocal fits and doesn't sound kitsch or excessive.

Plenty of copies available for pennies, definitely worth grabbing!