Each track on singer Kurt Elling’s newest release with guitarist Charlie Hunter, Superblue: Guilty Pleasures, opens with a rhythmic signal: a rap on the rim, a kick against the skin, a thwack on a string. These salvos ignite the momentum of each tune—no question that what comes next is going to be decisive, powerful, and groove-heavy.
The album’s modern funk-rock sound is not so much a departure for Elling as the next step in his ongoing foray into the essence of American musical forms. It’s also the second such collaboration between Hunter and Elling for Edition Records; their first, the 2021 LP Superblue, set in motion the pair’s hip-hop-inspired confab. This time, though, the album is a quick six-track EP, the set-up a simple trio (with drummer Nate Smith), and each title a cover pulled from the American collective mind.
These include a gospel-pulsing remake of Eddie Money’s “Baby Hold On”; a jazz jumble of the Eddie Kendricks’ hit “Boogie Down”; a growling blues understanding of AC/DC’s “Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap”; and a neo-soul interpretation of “Wrap It Up,” originally by R&B duo Sam & Dave. The juxtaposition of these particular tunes, which hail from the 1960-70s, with those of two contemporary songwriters fosters observation on how jazz has evolved under hip-hop’s influence: Smith’s “Bounce,” the album’s only instrumental, is at once smooth and sharply cadenced, and Elling’s amped redux of PJ Morton’s “Sticking to My Guns” channels both the energy of freedom and the noise of revolt.
Of note here, it’s rare that Elling records with such a streamlined ensemble. In this setting, you can hear how readily his vocal presence expands to fill the waiting space.—Suzanne Lorge
Guilty Pleasures: Baby Hold On; Wrap It Up; Boogie Down; Bounce; Sticking to My Guns; Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap (22:05).
Personnel: Kurt Elling, vocals; Charlie Hunter, guitar; Nate Smith, drums.