Arthur's Landing

I'm finding that this is rounding out to be a huge couple of weeks for new releases, especially for Strut Records. Last week, the label partnered up with the Afro-Latin crew Sofrito to release one of the best new compilations of the year in Tropical Discotheque. This week, Strut is releasing the much anticipated debut album by Arthur's Landing. For those that may not know, Arthur's Landing is a group that features many of the musicians and close friends that Arthur Russell collaborated with during his lifetime. These members include Ernie Brooks, Mustafa Ahmed, Joyce Bowden, Steven Hall, Elodie Lauten, Bill Ruyle, John Scherman, and Peter Zummon. If you have read Tim Lawerance's excellent biography on Arthur Russell, titled Hold On To Your Dreams, many of these names will sound very familiar as they are featured throughout the book playing an important part in Arthur's development as a musician and an artist. The whole purpose of this group is to help pay tribute and build from the wide-range vision of Arthur's music. Some of the tracks feature new arrangements of some of Arthur's most notable work including "Miracle 2" which is a new take on "In The Light of The Miracle" and "Love Dancing" which is a new version of "Is It all Over Your Face?", while other songs like "Bobby", "You Can't Go Back", and "Your Motion Says" are re-interpretations of Arthur's lesser known compositions. Even though there is certainly one important member of the group missing, in Arthur Russell himself, Arthur's Landing has nicely captured Arthur's complex vision and nicely funneled it through to these new recordings. It's truly hard to say because Arthur's music was always changing and re-inventing itself, however I would like to think that this album might help shed a little bit of light on what Arthur's music might have sounded like today if he was still with us. At least some of his closest friends and former bandmates have come together and released this great new album that helps give us a little more insight into Arthur's world. Let's Go Swimming!

Arthur's Landing - Miracle 2



You can buy the debut album by Arthur's Landing by Clicking Here.