There aren’t many bands in popular music willing to go with an instrumental track as a single, but conga player par excellence Robert Starks and his band mates aren’t your usual grouping of R&B musicians. Their two new singles “21st Century Grandma” and “Text-MEE-Baby” do a little bit of everything on their way to providing audiences with an enjoyable listening experience and their songwriting and performances are far away from the sort of disposable drivel infecting countless modern radio stations and platforms. Starks and his fellow musicians look to the past, but they are never beholden to it. The command of fundamentals they exhibit in these two singles gives us the bedrock for loving these tunes, but they sound thoroughly modern fashion and connect with a vibrant spirit rather than ever feeling cookie cutter or like they are going through the motions.
There is an upbeat, even playful, demeanor characterizing the melody at the heart of “21st Century Grandma”. This is the sound of a fleet-footed band rejoicing in their musical powers and playing with absolute confidence. The guitar playing, in particular, bristles and pops through the song’s three minutes and often flirts with straight up rock, but Starks and his band never go too far in that direction. The song is relatively predictable but in the best possible way – you know where Starks and his fellow musicians are taking this piece and the joy comes from hearing them go there with such style and skill.
The drumming is exceptional and the accents provided by Starks’ conga playing are an important part of the song’s restless, but never careless, feel. The percussion plays an even more pivotal role with the second single “Text-MEE-Baby”. It lays down an initial groove that carries the song much of the way home, but the song truly takes flight when the bass playing pairs with that deep in the pocket swing.
The vocals illustrate that this is a weakness in the band’s presentation. Far from it. The singing for “Text-MEE-Baby” nails a classic R&B feel without ever imitating anyone in particular and this individuality helps set the track apart from many similar efforts in the style. The guitar that was so omnipresent in the first single restrains itself here, but provides some key parts throughout the course of the track. It is a longer tune than the earlier instrumental, but few listeners if any will feel like it goes on too long – there’s every bit of the same focus defining this as the earlier instrumental.
Jodi Marxbury