The Motet
Music for Life

(Harmonized)

First Appeared in The Music Box, December 2004, Volume 11, #12

Written by John Metzger

With eight instrumental tracks that are stretched to a length of more than an hour, there’s no question that there are a few meandering moments on Music for Life, The Motet’s second outing for Harmonized Records. Yet, the ensemble’s organic melding of jazz, funk, and world rhythms is so delightfully perky that it’s impossible not to be captivated by the hypnotic swirl of its sun-drenched refrains. The ill-titled opening track Cheap Shit is splattered with heavy organ, groovy guitar, and popping percussion, virtually crying out for Steve Winwood’s R&B-inflected vocals, while Power plays to the whirling Santana-esque pulsations from which The Motet draws tremendous influence. Elsewhere, Black Hat and The Magic Way tap into Steely Dan’s stylish sophistication, and even lesser tunes such as the bobbing beat of Fearless and the Lee Ritenour-inspired Corpocratic manage to stay afloat, thanks, in part, to the collective’s exuberant delivery. Although, there’s a "been there, done that" sense of redundancy that creeps into Music for Life at its midpoint, The Motet’s jazz-fusion indulgences are still remarkably moving, bristling with inspiration at every turn and crackling with the type of energy upon which the band’s peers only can gaze with envy.

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Ratings

1 Star: Pitiful
2 Stars: Listenable
3 Stars: Respectable
4 Stars: Excellent
5 Stars: Can't Live Without It!!

Copyright © 2004 The Music Box