New York, NY (Top40 Charts) The soul and funk band known as Mr Naps (punctuation stylistically omitted) has released their new, flagship LP record album, "Bag of Soul," to sparkling reviews. Their record is comprised of 12 tracks for a total playing time of 45 minutes. A tour de force the likes of which music has not seen in decades, "Bag of Soul" is a triumphant, stunning return to old-school excellence and a true, modern masterpiece of the greatest artistic integrity.
Formed by the collaboration between accomplished NYC music producers Eric Hillebrecht and Donny Dykowsky, Mr Naps is a duo at heart, yet their impeccable sound and style on "Bag of Soul" comes from incorporating the talents of a wide family of friends. Their record includes soul, funk, R 'n' B, and even hip-hop music.
"We would seek a different singer to 'guest appear' on each track," writes Hillebrecht. "We felt like this was a cool way to keep the album dynamic and fresh from track to track, each track being influenced by different people with different sounds and creative ideas."
Though younger audiophiles may consider this an entirely new idea, Mr Naps recalls the days when such collaboration was not uncommon. "We always used to listen to 'James Brown's Funky People, Vols. One and Two,' where every track featured someone else... Collaboration was a key component to putting out this record.
Music isn't about the single person or artist representing it, it's really about what the listener relates to and whether that music touches their soul."
In addition to
James Brown, Mr Naps cites as main artistic influences Aretha Franklin, Smokey Robinson, Marvin Gaye, Al Green, Mark Ronson, Amy Winehouse, Sharon Jones and The Dap Kings, and Motown. Naturally, great musical taste in listening informs great musical taste in creating, and the tone and timbre of "Bag of Soul" echoes the brilliance and groove of these legends with new, fresh voices. The result is jubilant, arresting and inspiring.
"The goal is to put out something great that you are proud of, not to emulate certain sounds or put out something that you think others will like," writes Mr Naps. With a single, simple phrase, the errors of the mainstream music industry are laid bare before one and all. "If the music is good, and it was made with passion, people will listen. The goal is to be different, not the same."
The staggering achievement that is "Bag of Soul" by Mr Naps is available online worldwide.
The LP "Bag of Soul" is distributed globally by MondoTunes (www.MondoTunes.com) and is available at iTunes or www.top40-charts.com for convenient purchase and download.
