THE HEAVY SOUL SESSIONS

Djam Karet, live in the studio, offering intense and matured versions of some previously released material. Knowing all of that previous material quite well I have completely re-discovered those tracks through this release. And even if it's not without a flair for dramatics and exaggeration I don't hesitate a second to declare this their best effort so far. That's how strongly I feel for it.

Djam Karet shouldn't need an introduction and the band should be a well established and loved name amongst fans of instrumental progressive rock and jazz rock. But that's a lot of "shoulds" and unfortunately they've managed to remain fairly obscure and unknown in their about 25 years existence.

Just as on previous albums, Djam Karet combine the spacey feel of Floyd with slightly dissonant harmonics and the grave feel of King Crimson. With two guitar players the music is obviously very guitar-oriented, but never flashy or virtuoso, feeling and composition always prevail. And that's probably why this album is so strong, I've put a playlist together with the exact same tracks from the original releases and it's striking how intensified they have become, much tighter and a bit darker also. At times they sound like something between Anekdoten and early PT, keeping in mind of course that Djam Karet have been around a bit longer then those two.

There's only one track here that was previously unreleased, but all other tracks are interpreted very differently and make for a very fresh and revealing listen. Also, kudos to the brilliantly clear and lively production. 4.5 stars. Highly recommended.