Mamas Gun – The Life and Soul

Pop soul behemoths (they’re huge in Japan and a bunch of other countries but criminally underrated in the UK right now) Mamas Gun are back with their second album and, given that they were responsible for one of my fave gigs of 2010, it’s appropriately titled ‘The Life and Soul’. Sizzling with 70’s era Stevie Wonder and 60’s Motown magic it’s got a light freshness that makes it a perfect summertime listen. Just take the title track The Life and Soul for instance. Kicking off with a Hendrix-ish guitar riff and Isley Brothers style vocals it goes on to embrace a little gospel and some Wonder-ish keyboards to create a blue eyed soul classic. It’s just one of the highlights of an album that’s jam packed full of ‘em, from the lush orchestration of On A String through to the funky Jackson 5 inspired Rocket To The Moon. The album ends with a cheeky cover of the Queen classic Bicycle Race, not the most obvious of their influences but, trust me, Mamas Gun live could well give Freddie and co a run for their money. In fact, just like their live gigs, you just get the feel they really have...ahem...put their ‘life and soul’ (cheesy...moi?) into this one. Highly recommended.

The Life and Soul is out now Candelion Records and the band's out on a UK tour from 14th June (no Birmingham date though...boooo!).