JUBA DANCE
Orange (Audio 8)
Vocalist and multi-instrumentalist Ben Lamar and producer Polyphonic the Verbose have created a brilliantly kaleidoscopic soul sound. On the one hand, Orange is a very Chicago record. Specifically local lyrics combine with many of the waves of music that have swept through the Windy City: ragtime, soul, a dash of AACM, hip-hop and electrofunk. On the other hand, Brazilian rhythms and instrumentation add more than spice; every time a berimbau pops up, the tune becomes straight-up blues; and it’s all done up in the most dubwise production of a vocal record I’ve heard this year. There’s a lot of juice in this Orange. DAVID DACKS