Peela: Notbad

Thank god for second chances. I have to admit after the first two listens, I was not sure how I felt about Peela. Something kept drawing me back and it finally clicked., Peela are a six piece band (with some additional instrumentalists on various tracks) and Notbad is a varied and impressive work. Guitarist Johannes Granroth wrote all the music and produced the album. The more I listened, I kept hearing just how good this music was, sneaky good indeed!

The title track opens the disc featuring intricate horn lines, great drumming, and tasty guitar making it a favorite. “Don’t Touch My Pizza� (one of my favorite titles of the year), kicks off with a lot of energy, excellent electric piano throughout, and just builds adding more energy with horns and powerful drumming. The ending will definitely kick your ass. “Try Again� keeps the momentum with unison bass and horns, synths and wordless vocalizations. The voice is the lead instrument here, but my ear is turned with a clean guitar break showing another weapon in their arsenal. A fat groove develops as the solo progresses...give me guitar and electric piano all day long.

Vocals begin to make their way into the songs, and she has a great voice. The problem for me is that the music is so good, I’d prefer the instrumental path for Peela. “Liar� is the first real vocal track, and I love the sax/guitar playing, funky and tight. The strength of this band is in the horn arrangements and the rhythm section, and catchy tunes. “Liar� has plenty of hot solo spots to keep me happy. I found myself starting to enjoy the album more with each listen, and the vocal tracks all contain plenty of playing. “Love Smoothie� features more outstanding keyboard and horn work while “Silver Lining� has a great atmosphere with the muted trumpet leading the way. “Cross the Line� and “Hear Here� are full of groove and great guitar work, but as you listen, every musician is killing it, another track that just builds intensity as it goes. As a guitar lover, you get a lot here, but what an amazing solo in “The Turning Point�, and the acoustic guitar and lead work in “Bittersweet Kiss� was a joy. Adding vibes to “Maybe Next Time� gives the listener more variety of sound.

I will admit it took me a few listens for the album to grab me. The musicianship is top-notch with groove and feel for days, it sneaks up on you as you absorb the music. “Collective Awareness� has cool sax/guitar lines, and “Ball Dance� is excellent, upbeat, the horns again are outstanding. Unfortunately the closer “Let The Music Lead The Way� has a cheesiness I can’t get over. This album was a real grower, and it opens up with more listens. I am glad I went back and gave this one a few more listens, you won’t be sorry you did. At the same time, as good as they are, they can miss the mark with tracks that are a bit too mellow, and a few cheesy vocal songs that just keeps Notbad from being a great album. If you were to cut this down to about a 45-minute album versus an hour and 15 minutes, you’d have a true winner.

Track List:
1. Notbad
2. Don’t Touch My Pizza
3. Try Again
4. Liar
5. Love Smoothie
6. Silver Lining
7. Cross The Line
8. Hear Here
9. The Turning Point
10. Bittersweet Kiss
11. Maybe Next Time
12. Collective Awareness
13. Ball Dance
14. Let Music Lead The Way

Added: July 1st 2024
Reviewer: Eric Porter
Score:
Related Link: Band @ Bandcamp
Hits: 519
Language: english

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