Warm Heart, Cold Steel

Mr Bongo’s label is internationally known for its exposure of new Brazilian singers, classic reissues and hit remixes, so it’s surprising to hear a reissue of a UK 1975 Brit-funk band. But this grouping also includes the steel drummer, singer and songwriter Michael Olivier, and the 12 soul timepieces here come with a tw ist in the form of his infusion of the single pan (steel drum) into the mix, most brilliantly in their signature track, ‘Heaven and Hell. There’s the occasional whiff of cheesiness (on ‘Lazy Days’ and ‘Dance Away’) reminiscent of the more commercially orientated Trinidadian soca hits, but avoiding them still leaves you with some fabulous choices. Overall, the collection is a showcase for Olivier’s reinvention of his instrument, its tones, pitches and colours all perfectly fitting the context.

The reworkings of soul classics including Isaac Hayes’ ‘Shaft’ and ‘Papa was a Rolling Stone’ (whose sound comes closest to calypso pan music) thrive on the relationship between congas and the steel drum, which successfully replaces original keyboards. ‘Heaven and Hell’ is a musical tour de force, and is one of the most sampled tracks ever – by Black Eyed Peas, LL Cool J and Jennifer Lopez, among others. Opening to Olivier’s glorious falsetto and the group’s handclaps, it builds to a sophisticated, lyrically moving ‘message song, on a par with Marvin Gaye’s eternal ‘What’s Goin’ On’. Male choruses weave between the shimmering pan solos, which seemingly shift identity from jazz guitar to keyboards, from marimbas to distant bells, all with magnificently dramatic effect. Worth purchasing for that track alone.