May 7 brought the new EP by Nashville funk-soul brothers Sky Hi titled Reality Check and released through G.E.D. Soul Records. As is customary for Sky Hi, the five-track record is a mash-up of braying horns, sharp and defining bass lines, mood-setting keys and DeRobert “Dee” Adams’ own soulful belt, components that have caused me to start picturing a huge amalgam of icons in funk and soul as the face of the band.
Reality Check starts at mid-tempo with the title track, cresting with the far reach of a four-piece horn section. That’s Austin Little on trombone, Aaron Heffron on alto sax, Mark Spain on tenor sax and Michael Royer on trumpet. Their parts reach an even higher high than Adams’ voice, and the brooding bass adds a dark undercurrent to it all.
“Numeral Uno” brings things up a step higher with smoother, quieter keys warbling underneath Adams’ warning that I lost my cool/I’m freaking out. His vocals are full-bodied, stretching and emotive, punctuated by the horns and underlined with Josh Cochran’s keys, which seem to convey a range of emotion as they warble, liquefy and add a tangible groove to the songs.
The all-instrumental “Funk Till Dawn” brings it down a notch and really allows the listener to appreciate just what this nine-piece outfit does, which is combine a funk style that cuts deep with a soft soul edge reminiscent of Marvin Gaye’s ability to combine a smooth, almost soothing groove with a sensual rhythm. That combination can be found on the closing track, “Your Body.”
Sky Hi sounds like the kind of band you might find yourself face-to-face with as you turn the corner onto any urban street where there’s a block party in progress. Adams could be singing about car parts and still make the lyrics sound poignant and uplifting, and the lift and waver of his vocals, meshing with danceable, ever-changing rhythms and the horns’ punctuation, pit the fist-pump of funk against the warmth of soul—vintage musical influences that, here, equal a modern musical sum.
Order or stream Reality Check at skyhifunk.com.
