Hobex
Enlightened Soul
(Phrex)
First Appeared in The Music Box, February 2007, Volume 14, #2
Written by John Metzger
Founded in 1996, Hobex has been lacing its albums with classic soul grooves
since long before the style came back into vogue. In that regard, its latest
effort Enlightened Soul is no different from its predecessors. Given how
much more prevalent the influences of Curtis Mayfield, Sly Stone, War, and Al
Green have become within the music industry, however, the endeavor also feels
like a bit of a letdown. Part of the problem is that Hobex still hasn’t figured
out a way of capitalizing upon its initial promise. Instead of transforming the
refrains that it has borrowed from the past into something new, the group
appears to be content with merely emulating its heroes. Even more puzzling is
the Phish-meets-Bob Dylan twang of both Behind the Door and the title
track as well as Natural Child’s expansive, blues-baked homage to the
Jeff Beck Group. Although these songs likely are meant to provide a change of
scenery, they come across as diversions that sound jarringly out of place.
Nevertheless, when Hobex locks into the free-flowing funk of Free the Music
or settles into the shimmering sweetness of Man and a Woman, You Set
Me Free, and Push It Off that Hill, it’s impossible not to be
transported back to the golden days of 1970s — thus proving that the better
moments from the band’s 2002 outing U Ready, Man? weren’t flukes. If
Hobex only could find some focus and direction, it just might concoct a set that
would live up to its own hype.
Enlightened Soul is available from Barnes & Noble.
To order, Click Here!
Ratings
1 Star: Pitiful
2 Stars: Listenable
3 Stars: Respectable
4 Stars: Excellent
5 Stars: Can't Live Without It!!
Copyright © 2007 The Music Box