Manchester jazz-funkers Secret Night Gang bring their bold self-titled debut album to Brownswood Recordings. Led by the soulful vocals of Kemani Anderson and featuring saxophonist Callum Connell’s pin-sharp orchestrations, Secret Night Gang is a joyful slice of summer-soul goodness that nods to the vibrant history of jazz-inflected soul, while reflecting today’s genre blending sensibilities in a heady mix of gospel, R&B, souljazz and more.
“We describe our sound as limitless,” says Connell. “It’s not set in one genre, and the album is both a reflection of the past three years, as well as an homage to our favourite music and musicians.” That shared history is worn as a badge of honour, as the group taps into the musical influence of Chic, Quincy Jones, Stevie Wonder and Earth, Wind and Fire over the course of the album. Anderson puts it best: “Let me take you on a journey,” he sings on the Tower of Power-esque stomper ‘Journey’. “But first of all, let me give you some soul.”
“We write open-ended tunes to let the listener find themselves in the music,” says Connell of the album’s aim. “But most of all, it’s not music to think to – it’s music to dance to.” With an upbeat positivity that’s impossible not to warm to, Secret Night Gang’s debut emerges from the shadows and into the summery light.
