By 1980, the
disco boom that had supported the rise of
MFSB was on its way out the door. Their stylish sound was in need of a makeover to keep up with the times, and this was accomplished by allowing
Dexter Wansel, the producer/writer behind a string of jazzy solo albums like
Life on Mars, to take the reins. The result was the stylish and jazzy
Mysteries of the World. While this album is as mellow as the rest of the latter-period
MFSB recordings, it never forgets the group's
soul music underpinnings. For example,
"Manhattan Skyline" fortifies its easygoing melody with a percolating, hard thumping bassline and some well timed blasts of horns.
"Mysteries of the World" also keeps the new, softer style of
MFSB from drifting into
easy listening blandness by playing up the
jazz underpinnings of the group's sound. For proof, look no further than the title track, which wraps an array of exploratory keyboard riffs around a busy bassline. Elsewhere, the album adds surprising little twists to keep things fresh:
"Old San Juan" builds its mellow
soul groove around an atypical
flamenco guitar hook, and
"In the Shadow" works an otherworldly synthesizer line into its
bossa nova groove. The end result is an album that manages to bring a new freshness to their sound without completely severing ties with its old style.
Mysteries of the World may be a little too soft and
jazzy for
funk fans accustomed to the likes of
"Love Is the Message" and
"T.S.O.P.," but it remains a fine album of
jazz-inflected
instrumentals that is likely to please anyone who likes
soul music at its most elegant. ~ Donald A. Guarisco
![Carlito's Way [Music from the Motion Picture] [B&N Exclusive]](http://prodimage.images-bn.com/pimages/0888072086876_p0_v2_s90x140.jpg "Carlito's Way [Music from the Motion Picture] [B&N Exclusive]")
