Review:

on 2012-11-27 Michael_Morrison Said:

Most would agree most popular artists out there have something truly special to give to their fans. This goes above the typical attributes like raw talent, amazing songs, nice voice, or even a very marketable look, sound and image. There's something truly infectious at the core of these artists that simply makes us feel good when we listen to them. Whatever "it" is - they all seem to have "it".

Today I listened to the latest CD from Detroit based Drummer Drew Schultz and his band Funk Machine entitled "Back to Class" At first glance the production looks pretty straight forward, but as during my research I discovered this CD is a special collection of songs performed by classic Mo-Town artists from The Four Tops, James Jamerson Jr, Dennis Coffey, Members of The Funk Brothers, Ken Knox of Chairmen of the Board, Melvin Davis, Spyder Turner, McKinley Jackson, Pat Lewis, Rob Carter of Nature's Divine, Turhan (Earl Van Dyke Jr), Joey Kingfish, and Lenny Pickett of Tower of Power / Saturday Night Live. Back to Class also features up and coming young singers Chris Ams, Elise McCoy, Anna "Cartia" Carter, and Kyle Allen. The proceeds from this record benefits the music programs of the Detroit Public Schools.Venturing to their website I get the impression this is one artist that is extremely determined and passionate about the songwriting craft. From start to finish back to Class delivers the goods and is a very entertaining musical experience from start to finish. It has a very warm and inviting Motown Pop- Rock quality to it, and even dabbles in R&B, Funk and Smooth Jazz. It also reminds me of Sam Cooke, Wilson Pickett, Percy Sledge and Eddie Ford. Any fans of any of these musical styles or bands will enjoy this latest release from Drew Schultz . It's clearly marketed for those who like a Motown overtone. Favorite tracks include (Not Enough) and (Shipwrecked) Reach). The songwriting from Schultz is impressive and digs a bit deeper than the next independent artist. Within each one of these pieces Schults and his Funk Machine bares their soul and delivers what I would call pure musical mojo. It offers much in the way of passion and compelling-thought provoking lyrical content throughout. The playing from Schultz and company are spot on and just makes the whole CD even more enjoyable. The overall vibe of the production is very uplifting and cheerful with pockets of hope shining through.

I see Drew Shcultz as a diamond in the rough, with an amazing amount of potential - not only as a drummer but as a producer and songwriter. As time goes by he will no doubt hear more from him. He is successful for al the right reasons. I also would be surprised to hear her music on Prime Time Radio someday or even in a feature film or commercials. In close most famous artists out there have "it" I'm not so sure what it but Drew Schultz has whatever "it" may be.

Michael Morrison
West Lothian, Scotland (UK)

Rating: 10/10