I wrote this review for jazzreview.com. You can read the review on that site by clicking here. You will need to scroll down some.

Colours Rebel Heart (NBTM, 1999)
by Micah Holmquist
January 28, 2000

(I wrote this review for jazzreview.com. You can read the review on that site by clicking here. You will need to scroll down some.)

Frankie Rose (electric and acoustic guitars, electric sitar and vocals),
Michel Moliterno (drums and percussion),
Jacques Pili (electric basses),
Vincent Bruyninckx (keyboards and piano)

This is a fun disc! The German quartet Colours has a sound that hearkens back to the sound or jazz organ combos and the funky soul of Booker T & The MG’s. At the same time, guitarist Frankie Rose uses a wide range of influences such as a folk to give the material a slightly different edge.

Strong writing is also evident on this disc. All but one of Rebel Heart’s 8 tracks opens with an irresistible hook that drags the listener in and makes them wait with joy for more. Nowhere is this more apparent than on "Dolce Vita," the disc’s second track. The centerpiece is an easy going theme that sounds so familiar that you have trouble believing that it is an original yet the song writing credit does go to Jacques Pili. The great openings and themes continue after on "Dolce Vita. "Like There’s No Tomorrow," the fourth cut, uses a slightly edgy hip-hop opening before moving into what amounts to modern if not smooth jazz. "She Stands Alone" has a definite folk-pop feel to it. There is nothing all that new here but the group does do it well.

The group performs inconsistently in terms of improvisation, however. After the great hooks, the players all have a tendency to just rehash the theme or move in rather bland directions. A more gritty or blues based edge would give these performances some more substance. This plus the lack of any new ground being broken keeps Rebel Heart from being truly memorable.

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