Londoner Andy Platts, born in Hong Kong, first caught American ears as part of the Young Gun Silver Fox duo with Kansan Shawn Lee.
Young Gun Silver Fox revisited the West Coast recording paradigm of the ’70s LA studio scene: organic recording on analog tapes, dry drums, crisp keyboards, hyper-attention to harmonies, space between the instruments, etc. The R&B/jazz/fusion of that time was tagged decades later with the “yacht rock” moniker, notably as part of a YouTube mockumentary series, and including ironically the highly subversive Steely Dan.
The laid-back West End Coast, as well as the more eclectic and progressive AM Waves and Canyons albums, generated some nostalgic attention for Young Gun Silver Fox, but that belied the next-level craft of both Lee’s production and Andy Platt’s knack for R&B hooks (two No. 1 K-pop hits are credited to his quill) … not to mention his vocal stylings. However, Platt’s musical crib is with his home band Mamas Gun, a neo-soul group with an alternative vibe (named for an Erykah Badu album) that recently released its 5th album.
Virtually unknown in the U.S., Mamas Gun first garnered attention in the British Isles and Japan with the single “Pots of Gold” and the 2009 album Routes to Riches. Platts (vocals, multi-instrumentalist) and founding members David Oliver (keyboards) and Terry Lewis (guitar) added Cameron Dawson (bass) and Chris Boot (drums) over the next few albums, forging their quirky pop/soul ensemble into a crack studio and engaging live band – together or in simul-bandcasts from five locations during COVID.
The organic connection that Mamas Gun has seeded over the years germinated into full blossom in 2018’s Golden Days and the just released Cure the Jones. The new album’s central theme reflects our struggle to rise and reboot from COVID and thus anchors itself, not as a ’70s period piece in the Young Gun Silver Fox trilogy sense, but in the soul and R&B giants of yesterday: the legendary Thom Bell-produced Delfonics and Stylistics recordings, Bill Withers, the Impressions, Al Green, the Imperials, early Motown etc.
Cure the Jones is not to be mistaken, however, as a nostalgic look backward or a stone soul revival, but a message of hope and regrowth from seeds that have survived the harsh COVID winter. The LP erupts (if that’s possible) with a lament so rich in a drippling dark cocoa flood of melody, soulful harmony, and hooks contrasted with a love lost so bleak that not only was the heart removed, but the sun and meaning itself were obliterated.
The dichotomy of the lush chord changes and production with the stark, black reality of dashed hopes and dreams on “When You Stole the Sun from the Sky” is striking, yet redirects and amplifies the pain like many of the epic R&B recordings. Mamas Gun picks up the wreckage on “Looking for Moses,” a philosophical opine to surviving hard times. Surviving sometimes is good enough, especially with Dave Oliver milking that Hammond organ, the deep groove laid down by the skintight rhythm section, lifted by wry humor and Platt’s upward melodic trajectory.
The “survive and advance” theme continues in “Go Through It,” where Platt’s falsetto and silky chorus soar toward the light and a hovering Marvin Gaye force ghost. The harmonies go to church, and rise as the bridge beckons us to the other side:
All of these fears
Storming around us
Will all blow away like dust
“Good Love” is a lighter ’60s Rascals-period R&B joint, infectious and bubbly. “Reconsider” first croons as a torch song, then opens layer by layer into another decadent confection of chord changes, modulation, and an Easter egg or two. “Party for One” humorously vamps the irony of wishing for peace and quiet, and then being granted a pandemic instead.
Have I mentioned how in sync Mamas Gun’s playing and harmonies are? The space and communication between the instruments? The perks of experienced (studio/touring) musicians with a talented frontman and songwriter who clearly relish playing together?
The title track on Cure the Jones emotes love on the fence – then we’re flying high again with another Andy Platts’ hooked-up chorus. After a doo-wop heavy “You’re Too Hip,” we’re seduced by the call and response of “Winner’s Eyes” that features an outstanding jailbreak guitar solo from Terry “Spiller” Lewis. Mamas Guns’ thematic post-COVID metaphor concludes with “Daffodils,” reflecting on the perennial white and yellow flower that blooms every spring. Although, like Narcissus and the genus of the plant, one day we’ll wither away, there’s hope now … because that’s all we’ve got.
The only cure for this jones is clearly more Cure the Jones. Repeated listens are highly recommended for this special album to prevent sudden relapse.
- The Unforgettable Mamas Gun Gem Tucked Away on Their ‘Room Service’ EP - November 5, 2022
- Young Gun Silver Fox – ‘Ticket to Shangri-La’ (2022) - October 24, 2022
- Mamas Gun – ‘Golden Days’ (2018): On Second Thought - August 31, 2022
