The Beauty Room

The Beauty Room - The Beauty Room II - 2012 - Far Out

This is glorious!’ – Mark Sampson (Songlines)
‘A very well produced West Coast soft rock album’ – Robbie Vincent (Jazz FM)
‘It sounds wonderful!’ – Dick Hovenga (Written In Music)
‘This project is amazing!’ – Dj Ausar (WFRG 89.3 FM Atlanta / Soulandjazz.com)
‘Quality!’ - Kevin Beadle

'It's a fantastic record, with some wonderful string arrangements. But most of all, exceptional songwriting.' - John Armstrong (BBC Radio 2 / Kilombo Soundsystem)

The craftiest revivalists of that early ’70s, soft, soulful LA rock sound are a couple of guys from the UK, virtually unknown stateside. But The Beauty Room, as they’re called, deserves wider notice on these and other shores. It’s been six years since their critically well-received self-titled debut but singer Jinadu and producer/keyboardist Kirk Degiorgio put in a lot of work on the follow-up release The Beauty Room II to avoid the dreaded sophomore letdown. A couple of new tracks which appeared on the band’s MySpace page in 2009 gave hope that the next album was forthcoming, and after a few more years, we finally got confirmation that this album will go on sale at long last next week. Ace session drummer Chris Whitten (Johnny Cash, Paul McCartney, Dire Straits) returns, but is now joined by Jamiroquai guitarist Rob Harris and superbassist Brian Bromberg. String arrangements? The legendary Paul Buckmaster has that covered, with Amsterdam’s Metropole Symphony Orchestra. Grammy winner Peter Henderson handles the engineering. So, like Becker and Fagen, Jinadu and Degiorgio carefully assembled together the right supporting cast, but ultimately it’s about their songs and how they present them. Theirs is a songwriting partnership that sparks from two opposing forces rubbing together: Degiorgio and his predilection for chord progressions that are a little unusual for pop and Jinadu’s ear for crafting compelling hooks and meditative verses. They got that down on their first collaborative project, and the chemistry persists on II. And like the first album, the most distinguishing feature of the record is Jinadu’s lushly layered vocals that snuggles up to the ears like the best Crosby, Stills and Nash recordings, or — dare I say — the Beach Boys do. Degiorgio conjures up warm, analog sonic washes, never revealing a preference for neither electronic nor acoustic instruments to get that kind of sound; one of the more gorgeous selections is the piano/strings “Walking The Fine Line,” in fact. On cuts such as “We Can’t Throw You Away”, “The Last Calling” and “No Rejection” you can pick up traces of his gurgling techno/electronica heritage submerged in the mix; there’s often small hints that these recordings indeed come from the present and not from 1974, but those hints are kept discreet. Whitten is once again perfect on these sessions: his precise fills, cymbal splashes and overall timekeeping is up to par with the craftsmanship applied elsewhere, and he even gives songs like “Shadows Falling” a little propulsive nudge. The progression from the first album to the second comes in the additional help they brought on board. Buckmaster has lost none of his touch with orchestral arrangements for about half of the tracks, he understands that in pop and rock settings, the role of them is to bolster the songs, not dominate them. Rob Harris’ presence introduces electric guitars into The Beauty Room mix for the first time, subtly pushing the music toward a more rock direction, but still deployed with a lot of discretion (his savory blues licks on “So Far” is the most up-front he gets). Resonant and quirk-free with refined production and swelling choruses, The Beauty Room II confirms that the Jinadu/Degiorgio union can recreate the thoughtful song craft, graceful production and soulful, soaring vocals of a bygone era when such things were in ample supply. by & © S. Victor Aaron © 2012 — Something Else! Reviews. All Rights Reserved http://somethingelsereviews.com/2012/09/18/the-beauty-room-the-beauty-room-ii-2012/

The Beauty Room return with their second album following on from their self-titled 2006 debut on Peacefrog Records. Recorded in LA and London the record updates and hybridizes folk, soul, RnB and soft rock of the late-60s and early-70s. World famous techno/electronica DJ and producer Kirk Degiorgio re-unites with vocalist Jinadu on a deeply musical record channelling the likes of the Doobie Brothers, David Crosby and Brian Wilson with a fresh sound all their own. 'Beauty Room II' was recorded at Sunset Sound - LA, British Grove - UK, Olympic Studios - UK and Studio Heuvellaan - Holland using the best session musicians including Chris Whitten (Johnny Cash, Paul McCartney, Dire Straits), Rob Harris (Jamiroquai), Brian Bromberg (Elvis Costello, Herbie Hancock) and engineered by Grammy-winning producer Peter Henderson (Supertramp, Frank Zappa). Perhaps the most exciting addition to the follow up is the incredible string arrangements of Paul Buckmaster (Elton John, David Bowie, Rolling Stones), which were recorded with the Metropole Symphony Orchestra in Amsterdam, Netherlands. Combining traditional craftsmanship and modern electronics, it stands uniquely alone, there's timeless urban sophistication alongside a strong cerebral groove reminiscent of Steely Dan. What The Beauty Room achieve here is a similar blend of sharp-creased strut and spiritual meditation, all of it laced with plenty of that most essential yet indefinable alchemical element, soul. © Far Out Recordings, London http://farout.greedbag.com/buy/the-beauty-room-beauty-room-ii/

A beautifully crafted album which hybridizes high quality late '60s and early '70s soft rock with modern R'n'B, folk, soul and electronica. This album has a wonderful cool urban groove throughout with some beautiful melodies and musicianship of the highest calibre and is HR by A.O.O.F.C. Listen to Kirk Degiorgio's "Synthesis" album, and The Beauty Room's brilliant s/t album. Check out the piano & voice version of 'All In My Head' @ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FbjBujUio9U&feature=autoplay&list=PLOZYbYEYUmcgGxH27U9UI-COjD8sWzc6J&playnext=1 Beautiful stuff and very impressive [All tracks @ 320 Kbps: File size = 99.4 Mb]

TRACKS

1. We Can’t Throw You Away
2. Shadows Falling
3. All in My Head
4. But For Now
5. Wonders in the Sky
6. Walking the Fine Line
7. One Man Show
8. So Far
9. The Last Calling
10. Heaven Is In Your Mind
11. No Rejection

All tracks composed by Jinadu & Kirk Degiorgio

MUSICIANS

Rob Harris - Guitar
Brian Bromberg - Bass
Jinadu - Lead Vocals, Keyboards
Kirk Degiorgio - Keyboards, Vocals
Chris Whitten - Drums, Percussion
Paul Buckmaster - String Arrangements recorded by the Metropole Symphony Orchestra in Amsterdam, Netherlands.

BIO

The core of the Beauty Room is Kirk Degiorgio (producer, keyboards, vocals) and Jinadu (lead vocals, keyboards). Though the group didn't make its recorded debut until late 2005, with a low-key 10" single on the New Religion label, Degiorgio and Jinadu first collaborated four years prior, when the latter provided vocals on the former's 21st Century Soul album. For Degiorgio, an early champion of Detroit techno -- and, more importantly, a pioneering and prolific producer in his own right -- the Beauty Room represents a sharp turn away from 15-plus years of productions, a bold acknowledgment of his interests in the likes of Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young, Joni Mitchell, Terry Callier, Jon Lucien, and Steely Dan. Jinadu, a distinctive vocalist, has made a couple solo singles (both for Bitches Brew), in addition to guest vocals on tracks by a handful of other producers (Jimpster, Zoltar, Si Begg, Tidal). Aided by a host of associates -- including guitarist and longtime Degiorgio peer Ian O'Brien, keyboardist Tom O'Grady, drummer Chris Whitten, and the Heritage Orchestra -- the duo put together a self-titled album, released in September 2006 through Peacefrog. The album also featured an arrangement from Eumir Deodato, whose work for the CTI label (in particular) has significantly affected Degiorgio. © Andy Kellman © 2012 Rovi Corp | All Rights Reserved

ABOUT KIRK DEGIORGIO

As One's Kirk Degiorgio is one of the lesser recognized key players in the U.K. techno underground. While his visionary fusions of Detroit soul and cold, crystalline tech on records such as Reflections and Celestial Soul have earned him a strong reputation as a producer, Degiorgio has been as influential on the label front, with his Applied Rhythmic Technologies (A.R.T.) and more recent Op-Art imprints contributing greatly to the birth and continuing vitality of the U.K. experimental techno/electronica scenes often more closely associated with and credited to labels such as Rephlex and Warp. Formed in 1991, A.R.T. released early tracks from Black Dog, B12/Redcell/Stasis, and Neuropolitique, and helped bring wider attention to a core of U.K. artists working in a vein inspired by (but not simply reducible to) the music's Detroit originators. Although the label has gained wider acknowledgment through co-release projects with names such as Rephlex, B12, and New Electronica (with two label comps titled Objets d'ART released on the latter), A.R.T. remains something of a connoisseur's choice, with limited releases that tend to disappear soon after they're released. Degiorgio slowed A.R.T.'s already leisurely release schedule in 1996, establishing Op-Art as a more artist-oriented label geared toward wider exposure. With his own material, Degiorgio has released records through A.R.T. and R&S (as Future/Past), as well as New Electronica and future funk Rephlex breakaway Clear (under his As One guise). Degiorgio's music dwells most often on his split affinity for Carl Craig/Derrick May, -style Detroit gear and an ongoing commitment to the mid-'70s experimental jazz and funk fusions of Herbie Hancock and Miles Davis. The latter influence is less evident on his earlier A.R.T. and New Electronica records (such as Celestial Soul and Reflections), which tend to stick to a comparatively more conservative dancefloor framework, but his more recent R&S and Clear material has moved progressively to the fringes of techno/jazz fusion, particularly in the increasingly bold keyboard work. His debut Clear release, The Message In Herbie's Shirts (a tribute to Hancock, whose artistic evolution, Degiorgio somewhat facetiously claims, can be traced through the styles of shirt worn on the sleeves of his records), though hardly characteristic of the label, remains one of its strongest, most consistent releases (and the higher seller of Degiorgio career). © Sean Cooper © 2012 Rovi Corp | All Rights Reserved