Frootful - Colours Album Review

Nick Radford is the creative force behind Frootful, a band compromising of some great musicians, whose love for jazz, swing and funk is crystal clear. In fact it's no wonder Craig Charles is plugging these guys on his funk show, as Frootful are exactly what his show is about. Radford, a quality guitarist releases his debut album 'Colours' on Freestyle Records.

Indeed Frootful should be happy with this debut as its crystal clear the musicianship is tight and spot on. The varied display of classic styles of soul, jazz, Latin, ska, jazz-funk, r'n'b and ska show that this outfit know their stuff and could easily fit into any time genre they display. Radford's playing technique is class and shows not only sophisticated jazz sounds and great solos throughout the album but also a melancholy jazz sound on 'September' that explains why so many indie bands resorted to the jazz guitar. All the musicians show serious displays of musicianship from the horns, drums, keys and flute. There are also vocals on a few tracks on the album like 'Fish In The Sea' giving 'Colours' a bit of sass and grit.

There's no doubt that 'Colours' is a great album.

Colours is a great album but it's also nothing new, the tracks are easily derivative of a sound you've heard before; however there's at least one track that you can't deny sounds heavy and contemporary and should appeal to veterans and novices alike. Frootful have created a fun and fresh album of old sounds that still sound modern and hip. Cool!

Tareck Ghoneim