It’s been a while since George Evelyn and Nightmares On Wax have been caressing our ears with their blissful music – five years in fact. Even then it could be argued the most recent NoW album, ‘Thought So…’, was not up to his usual high standards. So it is a pleasure to report that ‘Feelin’ Good’ is doing just that, bringing back the flavour and the variety that made the Sheffield outfit so good in the first place. It feels as if Evelyn has been off travelling, too – Cuba, maybe, judging by the lilting piano and shuffling beat he applies to ‘Be I Do’ and ‘Luna 2’. There are guests here, and a wide scope of styles that takes in dub (‘Now Is The Time’), Marvin Gaye-type soul (‘Give Thx’), reggae, slow funk (‘Tapestry’) and cinematic strings, so there is plenty to keep the ears tuned and the mouth smiling. Sometimes the music is a bit too horizontal and lacks proper substance – the opener ‘’ and ‘’ are examples – but when the whole object of the exercise is to chill out anyway, that’s hardly a major concern. It’s great to have Evelyn back, doing what he does best.
5 out of 5
Reviewed By Ben Hogwood
