Premiere: Jeff Slate – “Movin’ On”
In a Blues Rock Review exclusive premiere, stream Jeff Slate’s “Movin’ On.” It’s from the upcoming album, The Last Day of Summer, out May 17th on Schnitzel Records.
About the track, Slate said, “I’ve always wanted to make an old school soul record. It’s the music I grew up on and love and that I listen to more than anything else around the house. That’s a tall order, of course, but this version of “Movin’ On” is at least a taste of what’s been swimming around in my head all these years.”
Slate adds, “Like most of the rest of the songs on The Last Day of Summer, “Movin’ On” started as not much more than the sketch of an idea, with me laying down some guitars and a guide vocal to a click track, which I then sent over to Ben Gordelier, from Paul Weller’s band, to lay down drums and percussion. The tricky part then became that, once I’d heard what he’d done, I now envisioned two very different approaches to the song. One – the album version – is heavier, with a Double Fantasy vibe, which is underscored both by the lyrics and Earl Slick’s guitar and solo. But for this version, I wanted pure, white boy soul.”
Jeff continues, “So, co-producer Eric Lichter and I laid down some basic elements, before Slick added his searing, Station to Station-style guitar in one take. Don Miguel, whose work with Leonard Cohen in his later years I find so amazing and inspiring, played off Slick expertly, as did Boogie Cindy, the bassist from the Boogie Wonder Band, which all together made the groove as tight as you can get. “
Slate concludes, “The special sauce, though, is former-Style Council keyboard wizard Mick Talbot. His parts are smokin’, and his solo is both understated and elevating, a rare and wonderful thing. And the final icing is the background vocal arrangement by Jessica Greenfield, of Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds-fame. The parts she came up with, and the blend of Jess, me and Shannon Conley, from my live band, reminds me of every 45 I loved growing up every time I hear them.”
