Shob: Karma Obscur

Do you remember the last time you thought, “…oh, I haven’t listened to that bass guitar album in ages!� No, in truth neither can I. However that’s something that French bass player Shob is looking to change, the man who has collaborated with everyone from Patrick Rondat (G3) and PapaGuyo (Sly & Family Stone) to Roger Biwandu (Zawinul Syndicate) and Patrick Bebey turning the spotlight on the bass, while also looking to bring you so much more. Karma Obscur is his second solo album and it has to be said that every effort has been made to make it as eclectic as it possibly can be.

Being described as dark funk, that phrase is, supposedly, more a reference to Shob’s state of mind when he wrote the album, than it is about the music itself. Although, with this being a bass driven collection, you won’t be too surprise no know that funk is never far away. Sometimes that manifests in the aggressive attack of “Action Mutante�, sometimes in the skat and slap of “Hors D’oeuvre� and sometimes in the shape of the intense and soaring title track itself. You’ll also encounter crazy beatbox parts from Beasty, the soul vocals (although much of the album is instrumental) of Laurene P Magnini, huge drum parts from Morgan Berthet, the stinging guitar work of Pierre Danel and African percussion courtesy of Ludo Lesage. So, as we covered earlier, eclecticism is undoubtedly the order of the day, however Shob’s bass work stands tall and proud, combining all the different elements into an album that has real flow and pace. His work is ebullient, it’s sparky and it’s impressive, and yet what it is more than anything else is sympathetic to its surrounds, even if Shob and his bass are always at the forefront of what you hear.

Whenever you visit Karma Obscur, there’s always something new to experience, something different to discover and something previously not spotted to take in. It’s darting, daring and varied and yet, even with all of that in mind, there’s also no denying that it’s niche, idiosyncratic and challenging. Will I be thinking of reaching for this bass guitar album often? In truth, probably not, but Shob and his incredibly talented cast do make it a close run thing.

Track Listing
1. Hors d'oeuvre
2. Straight Ahead
3. Except I'm 65
4. Enclosures
5. Karma Obscur
6. Rusty Dog
7. The right move
8. Green Elephant
9. The Professor
10. Divergence
11. Action Mutante
12. Dissection
13. Sulfur

Added: June 19th 2018
Reviewer: Steven Reid
Score:
Related Link: Shob at bandcamp
Hits: 1370
Language: english

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