![\"\"](\"http:\/\/blog.musoscribe.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/mrs_fun_truth.jpg\")
I tend to look with skepticism at guitar-drum duos; for me, it\u2019s been done to death, and few did it with as much creative success as Flat Duo Jets. But when it comes to keyboard-drum duos, I\u2019m prepared to allow a bit more latitude, because the sonic possibilities of keys are more varied and expansive. But the concept still gives me pause, mainly because I haven\u2019t witnessed many that have provided any music of significant interest.<\/p>\n
That all changed when I received an album called Truth<\/i> by a pair calling themselves Mrs. Fun. This Milwaukee duo features drummer Kim Zick and multi-instrumentalist (but primarily keyboardist) Connie Grauer. Their chosen m\u00e9tier is a kind of fusion jazz, and the keys (and bass keys) and drums were tracked live, with occasional bits of guitar and vocal overdubbed afterward.<\/p>\n
The music is more than technically impressive; it\u2019s consistently inventive and engaging as well. The album opens with a fanfare on \u201c19,\u201d and Grauer\u2019s keyboard textures sound straight out of 1982-era Frank Zappa (specifically the Tinseltown Rebellion<\/i> live double album). But just as soon as you think that\u2019s where the tune is going, the pair shifts gears into something closer to hard bop-meets-\u201970s-funk, with a watery electric piano sound. That changes again, with a (keyboard) bass countermelody sparring with a drum part that does far more than keep a beat.<\/p>\n
\u201cProcess is a Purpose\u201d is a vocal tune; Grauer alternatively speaks and sings, all the while laying down bass and electric piano. It\u2019s hypnotic, midway between three points: sultry vocal jazz, skittering hip-hop and the slightly odd vibe of what is essentially a white lady rapping. (And hey, why not?)<\/p>\n
\u201cTula\u2019s Turnaround\u201d is more conventional; it sounds like an especially tasty jazz trio or quartet. But then you remember that this is merely two<\/em> musicians, playing live<\/em>. It\u2019s astounding stuff, and highly accessible. \u201cSilent Mist\/How Insensitive\u201d is cut from the same cloth, with a fetching melody and more spoken-word vocals. And Grauer\u2019s soulful soloing evokes memories of Joe Zawinul.<\/p>\n Speaking of that adjective, \u201cSoulful Strut\u201d sounds like the sort of thing one might find deep into a \u201870s Stevie Wonder double album. And speaking of the Weather Report (and Adderley Quintet) keyboardist, Mrs. Fun pays tribute to him on \u201cZawinul,\u201d with some more of those Tinseltown Rebellion<\/em> keyboard sounds. On that track, Zick lets loose with some of her fieriest drum work while Grauer plays like a woman possessed. (Actually, make that two<\/i> women; listen to that crazy bass line.)<\/p>\n Even when bits of guitar are added to the mix (as on \u201cI Don\u2019t Want to Know Your Name,\u201d they\u2019re used primarily to add extra texture to the core keys-and-drums arrangement. That track also features some delightfully off-kilter vocal harmonies.<\/p>\n Nearly all of the material on Truth<\/i> is original. A notable exception is a lovely and funky reading of The Doors\u2019 \u2018Light My Fire.\u201d The duo approaches it with a jazz mindset: state the head, go off on flights of exploratory fancy, restate the head, explore some more, and so on. It all works, expanding the song beyond its original intent in fascinating ways, yet staying true to its original musical spirit.<\/p>\n \u201cHouse Party\u201d sounds like a drum machine and The Art of Noise let loose in Pee Wee\u2019s Playhouse, with some jazz players joining in the fun. Crazy stuff to be sure. \u201cOrange Grove\u201d feels like an enthnomusicological excursion; I hear hints of Spain, Greece, North Africa, and Bill Evans-style piano jazz.<\/p>\n Mrs. Fun heads for the outer reaches on the kinetic yet atmospheric \u201cSpace Port\/Pinnochio.\u201d The first part is otherworldly fusion; the second is ambient music \u2026 with drums. Like I said, crazy stuff. But good-crazy; really<\/i> good-crazy.<\/p>\n Kellen \u201cKlassik\u201d Abston provides some genuine hip-hop guest vocal work alongside Grauer\u2019s vocals on \u201cLet Me Live My Lie,\u201d a hip hop\/jazz summit that will appeal to fans of The Midnight Hour. The bass solo is dizzying. The set closes with \u201cCalm Before the Storm,\u201d a track with three guest vocalists; the singers are superb as they repeat the title phrase, but it\u2019s Mrs. Fun duo\u2019s instrumental work that makes the track something special.<\/p>\n If you\u2019re looking for something far outside the musical mainstream that isn\u2019t self-consciously arty, Mrs. Fun\u2019s Truth<\/i> should be your next stop. And not to spoil the, er, fun<\/i> for you, but it\u2019s the duo\u2019s eighth album. So many more pleasures await your discovery.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" I tend to look with skepticism at guitar-drum duos; for me, it\u2019s been done to death, and few did it with as much creative success as Flat Duo Jets. 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