Nine years is a long time to stay away, especially in the music industry. But Cali-based band The Rebirth did just that after releasing their acclaimed debut album, This Journey In. In the time that's passed, the group issued a couple singles, lost original lead vocalist Noelle Scaggs (who left to pursue a solo career and would eventually work with Fitz and the Tantrums) and gained new lead vocalist Baskerville Jones. Even through all those changes, the group still managed to craft their latest album, Being Thru The Eyes Of A Child. Though they've been away for quite some time, with Being Thru The Eyes Of A Child, The Rebirth bound back onto the scene like they never left.
The project is a concept album of sorts, with each song expressing the common theme of attempting to see the world through as we once did as children. Our first taste of the set came in the form of single "This Is Coming To?," a funky jam session with a message that more than whet our appetites for what was in store. It at once threw back to the sounds of This Journey In and nodded to the new direction that their sound would be taking with Jones out front. Though her voice has a similar quality to that of Scaggs, the differences between the two are noticeable and add a different texture to the grooves that the band crafts as a whole.
But while Jones might get the most mic time, it's the band as a whole that shines on each track. Consisting of founding member Carlos "Loslito" Gualco on keys and vocals, Chris "C-Quest" Taylor on drums and vocals, Mark Cross on keys, Patrick "The Snake" Bailey on guitar, Daniel Seef on bass and Nikki Campbell on percussion, the crew lays down music that veers from theatrical to jazzy to funky and everything in between expertly. The group ups the funk ante with jams lake "Wasteland" and "By Design," and gives us sweet and tender ballads like "Religion to Me" and "Come On Over." Along the way, they deliver true standouts, like the bouncy, happy "Samurai," all about tapping into your inner warrior to overcome life's obstacles, and album closer "Surrender the Pretender," about embracing and loving your real self.
It might've taken nearly a decade for The Rebirth to return to the scene, but they definitely came back correct. Tight musician ship and killer harmonies are used as vessels to give the world at large a reality check, telling us all that it's time to slow down and really see the world and times we're living in. Because of that, Being Thru The Eyes Of A Child is an exhilarating, eye-opening journey that will make you think as much as it makes you move.
The Rebirth Being Thru The Eyes Of A Child [Amazon][iTunes][CDBaby]
