The Brand New Heavies

1	BNH / N'Dea Davenport 4:28
2	Dream Come True / N'Dea Davenport 4:53
3	People Get Ready / N'Dea Davenport 3:46
4	Never Stop / N'Dea Davenport 4:13
5	Put the Funk Back in It / N'Dea Davenport 3:19
6	Gimme One of Those / N'Dea Davenport 3:41
7	Ride in the Sky / N'Dea Davenport 3:23
8	Sphynx / N'Dea Davenport 4:46
9	Stay This Way / N'Dea Davenport 5:42
10	Shakedown / N'Dea Davenport 4:18

Barnes & Noble

While most of their U.K. contemporaries in the acid jazz game of the late '80s were taking classic funk sides and slicking them up for a dance floor populace weaned on glossy acid house and techno grooves, the Brand New Heavies instead went the route of their idols the JB's (James Brown's house band for his King and People recordings of the '60s and early '70s). The Heavies' sound was live, raw, and lean. "Put the Funk Back in It" is a no-holds-barred anthem with a group-shout chorus, Moog-like keys, and a tight, snapping, analog-based rhythm section. The drums crack, the bass thumps, your toe taps. "Gimme One of Those" and "Brand New Heavies" are in the same bag. But, like the godfather of soul, the Heavies knew the value of strong female vocals. Enter American songstress N'Dea Davenport (she's since left the group), who shines on the poppy, quicker-tempo "Dream Come True" (a huge smash in everywhere but the U.S., where it enjoyed only moderate radio success) and the smoother, more modern R&B-flavored "Never Stop." The Heavies have built up a following with a series of increasingly slick releases, but this debut -- one of the great pure-funk albums of the last 20 years -- remains their calling card. Brian Coleman

All Music Guide

Many of the artists who were part of Britain's soul scene of the late '80s/early '90s, including Soul II Soul, Lisa Stansfield, and Caron Wheeler, took a high-tech, neo-soul approach, combining '70s-influenced R&B and disco with elements of hip-hop. The equally impressive Brand New Heavies, however, used technology sparingly, stressed the use of real instruments, and were unapologetically retro and '70s-sounding through and through. Drawing on such influences as the Average White Band and Tower of Power, the Heavies triumph by sticking with the classic R&B approach they clearly love the most. The band has a jewel of a singer in N'Dea Davenport, who is characteristically expressive on "Dream Come True" and "Stay This Way." Real horns -- not synthesizers made to sound like horns -- enrich those gems as well as the sweaty vocal funk of "People Get Ready" and "Put the Funk Back in It" and the jazz-influenced instrumental "BNH." While this fine album enjoyed cult hit status, it was sadly ignored by American urban contemporary radio. Alex Henderson