The Doggett Brothers feat. Sulene Fleming, Jazz Café, 9th March 2013

I don't get out to live gigs anywhere near as much as I should, but the last few I have attended have by pure chance managed to involve Sulene Fleming in some way. After seeing her strut round the stage at the 100 club last November in a manner that would make Tina Turner salute, I had the privilege of seeing her perform once again, this time at the Jazz Café, fronting The Doggett Brothers as part of the launch of their new album, Daylight.

If you're not familiar with the Doggett Brothers, they are Greg Doggett on lead guitar, Carl Doggett on drums, Benjamin Race on bass, and Andrew Nimmo on keyboard, sax and clarinet. James Junior and Sharn Adela were on backing vocals.

They're not quite the easiest band to pinpoint musically; they have quoted influences as diverse as Jamiroquai, Incognito, The Average White Band, Roy Ayers and Prince. It certainly showed too; their mostly album-based set was a gentle mix of guitar-based jazzy soul with tracks like That's The Way Love Is, Reminds Me Of You, Daylight and Tokyo also showing a distinct Brand New Heavies influence, a big compliment coming from someone who is a die-hard Heavies fan.

Thats not to pigeon-hole them though; It's Complicated pays more than a little homage to The Purple One in it's musical structure and vocal narrative, while Hit The Beat with it's synth melody and prowling electronic bassline would find a home on most Brit-soul LPs from the 80's with ease. They do a pretty good instrumental too; The Pass and more prominently Sin Fin show the Doggetts showcasing their musical talent, the latter track reminding me of many a uptempo Fusion composition.

Lets not forget Ms. Fleming, the reason I know about the Doggetts; a great performance, with her now-usual energy and on this occasion sounding like Chaka Khan with a dash of Alyson Williams thrown in. She was a great match for the material. If you ever get a chance to see her live do so; her vocals, while great on the album, gain an extra dimension in a live setting.

One other track performed on Saturday must be mentioned that alas isn't on the album for fairly obvious reasons; a worthy cover of the the Stevie Wonder/Susaye Greene-penned I Can't Help It (made famous by Michael Jackson on his Off The Wall album) was double-teamed by Sulene and James Junior to great effect.

A great gig; Camden's Jazz Café has always been a great place for me to discover new talent and Saturday was no exception; the Doggetts are quite the revelation, a collective talent that will go onto bigger things in the future. I recommend the album.

Here's a sampler:

The Fantastics! feat. Sulene Fleming - Somewhere.. Finally (2011)

Summer never properly came, but this slice of slick soul let us dream of a perfect one. From The Fantastics! (the excalamtion mark is part of the band's name), featuring the smoky yet sensual vocal delights of micro diva, the wonderful Sulene Fleming.
The interplay between Fleming and the imperious tones of tenor sax-man Mark Norton will delight the listener over this slower Groovin' - style vibe. A subtle taster for their forthcoming new album. The Fantastics! once again demonstrate their versatility on this refreshing and golden tinged love song ripe for radio.
Never really comfortable with tightly defined and rigid musical pigeon holes, The Fantastics! have always been pushing the boundaries and honing their musical eclecticism since before their first Freestyle releases back in 2008. As a primer for their second Freestyle album All The People, released August 2011, 
Teaming up with stunning vocalist Sulene Fleming, on the recommendation of DJ, promotor and all round musical guru Lubi Jovanovich, the band set to writing with Sulene (who first came to attention on The New Mastersounds first album, with the funk club banger Turn This Thing Around) and the results speak for themselves. Somewhere Finally is a concise, catchy and beautiful summer love song, that's dripping with deep soul, horn hook lines, Sulenes' soaring vocals and a shimmering vibe that has already seen this track become a highlight of The Fantastics live shows already. 
All the People provided the band the opportunity to blend together their favourite influences into something that defies classification; is it disco, soul-jazz, fusion or organ funk? Well - it's all that and more..and just like the album it's taken from - this busts wide open the rigidly defined and often claustrophobic boundaries some people would prefer music to be trapped in.
That approach is not for The Fantastics!