This is an enhanced reissue of KALIMA's third full-length Factory album that first came out in 1990. Along with the nine original tunes, there are two extended remixes of the opening song "Shine" bringing the full playing time to a few seconds under an hour.
KALIMA's unpretentious Latin jazz sound is just as much fun, and just a s clever, as it ever was. Serious jazz heavyweights might have things to say, but in the broad swathe of popular music this album connects easily with a whole range of current scenes. It has enough bite in its rhythm section to escape any charge of narcolepsy. Drummer Ian Kelly and percussionist Andy Boothman were both drafted in by the core band members: Ann and Tony Quigley and John Kirkham. Ann Quigley's voice is confident and restrained. There's plenty of fluent guitar and warm bass. Flute, alto and tenor sax, vibes, piano and synth keyboards give it a very generous full sound without any hint of overcrowding.
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With the passage of time track 3's "Take It Easy" or track 4's "Interstella" sound a lot more satisfying than the kind of chilled out quasi jazz stuff that SADE were offering back then. But they aren’t the exceptional tracks on this album – the whole thing sustains the quality and confidence that brought such positive reviews at the time.
As usual James Nice does good liner notes. But as an archive collector-style release this is surprisingly accessible and attractive as a one-off purchase for 2006 listening. It has emotional range, tempo shifts and plenty of surprises to sustain interest. Relaxed, happy, smart music.
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