
The Grand Central Band: Brightest Star
By Peter Dent
It was black dance music in the '70s, Jamiroquai picked it up in the '90s as retro, and in Aotearoa (since 1998), The Grand Central Band (named after the Auckland bar they performed in), have taken this brand of booty-shakin', groovy soul-funk music to new levels. Junior Turua's electric bass takes on a life of its own on this record...damn! Accompanying are singer/songwriter Chris Melville, keyboardist Alan Brown, drummer Josh Sorenson and guitarists Joel Haines and Dixon Nancy. This is an enormously cohesive unit, with a take-no-prisoners, all-for-one stance ...and loads of attitude. Recorded at MAINZ music school in Auckland, 'Brightest Star' is a tour-de-force of beautifully crafted, funky dance music of the highest calibre. I see big things for this group on the international scene. Git on down with yo' bad self, and check out The Grand Central Band right away - Melville's got a brand new bag!
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