ALBUM REVIEW: MR JUKES - GOD FIRST

MR JUKES
GOD FIRST
Island Records
Soul, R&B, Funk.
Listening Format: CD


'God First' is the debut album by Mr Jukes, the new alias of Jack Steadman from London based Rock band Bombay Bicycle Club. Steadman has taken an unlikely U-turn into Soul and R&B music. He has managed to fuse a vintage 70s Soul sound with a modern production that often has a Hip Hop leaning. The results are quite similar to the recent works of the Dap-Kings, The Menahan Street Band and other Daptones affiliated acts.

'God First' is a very collaborative project, as Jack Steadman has surrounded himself with some incredible vocalists and players including Charles Bradley, Lianne La Havas, De La Soul, Horace Andy and more. Most of the tracks are played by an ensemble with a rich amount of strings, as well as that classic Fender Rhodes keyboard sound. The album has a gorgeous flow and is full to the brim with hard hitting grooves, a warm and punchy bass sound, and uplifting soulful vibes. It's the guest vocal performances that really lift this album. BJ the Chicago Kid steals the show on 'Angels / Your Love' and Charles Bradley delivers a vocal that will give you chills on 'Grant Green' (presumably named after the legendary Jazz guitarist). It's so fantastic to hear that Charles Bradley is on the road to recovery! 'Somebody New' is another huge standout with a sensual vocal from Elli Ingram. The track builds to a fantastic Synth-Funk groove reminiscent of Dam-Funk or even something Flying Lotus would come up with. The squelchy bass sound is just irresistible and will definitely get you dancing.

Whilst there are so many standout tracks across the album, the only sore thumb of the project is Jack Steadman himself. There are three tracks, 'Ruby', 'Magic' and 'Tears' that strip away the huge ensemble of instruments and are essentially just Jack Steadman solo tracks. These drifting ballads tend to slow down the amazing energy of the album, sounding much more like what you would expect from a Bombay Bicycle Club member's solo album. Steadman's brittle and folksy voice just isn't a match for the huge dynamic soul voices he has surrounded himself with on this record. The solo tracks become a little lost and just don't pack the same force.

If you think of Mr Jukes as a collaborative project rather than a Jack Steadman solo record though, then 'God First' makes much more sense. This is Soul music done the right way in 2017. And there are some truly fiery, infectious and explosive performances littered all over this record. It's just a shame that Steadman ends up feeling like a mere guest spot on his own album, but his ambitions should be praised. 7/10.