STICKMAN

DIRECT MESSAGE

Independent Lable

Dawn Elliott, lead vocals; Jim Levy, keyboards/backing vocals; Liza Albright, bass/backing vocals/lead vocals; Francis Thompson, drums/backing vocals; Matt Ringer, guitar/backing vocals; Peter Fraize, saxophones/backing vocals/sleigh bells.

This album by Stickman is a blend of alternative jazz, soft rock and pop music. They open with the title tune, “Direct Message” featuring a blustering tenor saxophone solo from Peter Fraize who also composed the tune and wrote the lyrics. Dawn Elliott delivers the song vocally with much emotion and assistance from the other band members who all sing background in various scenarios. The lyrics are printed on the inside cover of the album jacket.

The instrumental, “Monkey” follows.  It personifies the talents of these musicians, presenting a powerful production, once again with the Peter Fraize saxophone leading the way.

Singer, composer Dawn Elliott returns on “Song for My Younger Self” where she wrote both music and lyric.  One of their outstanding numbers was “Church Lady Casserole” with a strong funky bass line played by Liza Albright.  The song has great lyrics and punchy horn lines that lift the arrangement.  This is the bass player’s composition and she also sings it. The guitar solo by Matt Ringer is outstanding. This tune is quite commercial and should get a lot of air play. Francis Thompson is strong on trap drums.

This group is reminiscent of the 1980s pop/R&B groups like Tower of Power and Average White Band.  They offer a little bit of everything on this production, showing their many talents, spotlighting each band member.  On “Diminishing Returns” the Stickman aggregation steps into Fusion jazz.  The chant at the end of the tune is catchy and the groove is infectious.  Instrumentals like “Prescription Refill” definitely show them to be groove-masters.

The Stickman pianist, Jim Levy composed a tune called “Us” that leans more towards the pop side of their musical coin.  All in all, this is an album of diverse musical arrangements and songs that cover several genres.  The group musicianship is tight, well-rehearsed, and these musicians bring the party with them.

Reviewed by Dee Dee McNeil

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