Acclaimed musician and producer Paul McMahon, aka Bold Parade, steps back into the frame this winter with a stunning four-track EP titled ‘To The Future Together’, underlining his knack for weaving funk, jazz, Latin and soul into a seamless platters of audio wonder. The opening cut,‘The Golden Braid’, sets the tone with afrocentric jazz inflections, lifted by the Stephens Oyo Choir whose voices glide across a tight, brass-driven groove. A trumpet solo seals the track with poise rather than flash. ‘Land Of Tears’ shifts the mood into a slower Latin sway, Noon’s vocal riding light guitar lines and percussion that feels both spacious and sunlit. Regular collaborator Marti Buchanan appears on ‘My Place Of Joy’, her mesmerising vocal presence adding depth to a funk arrangement that balances warmth with precision. The closing track ‘Tarde cai, eu danço’ brings Bianca Amante back into the fold, its Latin pulse and lyrical theme of twilight dance together, rounding off this classy bag of treats with understated elegance.
Ratha Gud 5/5
