Cymande – Renascence

Legendary Brit-funk group Cymande never quite fitted into any box. Perhaps that’s why the music industry – so in thrall to easy categorisation – missed out on them the first time round. A potent gumbo of funk, soul, afrobeat, and Caribbean culture, the band’s three nigh-on perfect albums in the 70s never cracked the charts, but came to form a place in the bedrock of British music. Beloved by rare groove crate-diggers and hip-hop producers, Cymande’s second life has been a thing to behold. New album ‘Renascence’ is their first in almost a decade, and it’s aptly-titled – living up to the sky-high standards of their 70s arc, it’s a heady dose of spiritual funk that leans into the free expression of jazz.

It’s an album that kicks hard from the off. ‘Chasing An Empty Dream’ is a lucid funker, one built for sweaty dancefloors; there’s also an impeccable sense of audio engineering here, too, with the lush strings recalling those Curtis Mayfield street symphonies. ‘Road To Zion’ is dulcet and gentle, an example of their subtlety. ‘Coltrane’ meanwhile is a homage to a jazz great, taking that sense of inspiration into a different context – “music is the message creation sends,” after all.

—

—

Indeed, there’s an intense jazz virtuosity running throughout ‘Renaiscence’ – ‘Sweeden’ harnesses the righteous energy of a Cymande live show, and ‘Darkest Night’ sits on a phenomenal groove. There’s a few key guests, too – long-time Cymande fan Celeste realises an ambition with her soulful vocal on ‘Only One Way’, while the group return a favour to arch crate-digger Jazzie B on the deep, luxuriant ‘How We Roll’.

Closing with the emphatic ‘Carry The Word’, you’re left feeling how defiantly modern, and devoutly unclassifiable Cymande’s music remains. No one made music like this in the 70s; few can even attempt now. ‘Renascence’ is a triumph.

8/10

Words: Robin Murray

—