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Sunday, February 28, 2010

Review: Living Proof - Feel Good Music


Living Proof - Feel Good Music
2009, Living Proof Music

Lving Proof is one of the most popular bands in Indianapolis, Indiana, having perfected their craft over the past eight years. Whether it's R&B, Soul, Funk, Hip-Hop or Pop, Living Proof serves up a little bit of what you're after. Having played with bands such as Earth, Wind & Fire, Chicago, The Time & Morris Day, Living Proof have the stamina to offer three and four hour sets full of good time music you can dance to. Initially one of the top cover bands in Indy, Living Proof has added original compositions to their catalogue over the last several years. The band's sophomore CD, Feel Good Music, has generated so much buzz that Living Proof actually peaked on the CMJ Hip-Hop charts at #22 (alongside artists such as Jay-Z, Big Pun, K-Os, Swollen Members and Del The Funky Homosapien). Living Proof continues to grow in popularity, and co-lead vocalists Jessica and Leonard Patterson are a big reason why. Of course, when you have a backing band of Larry Beiswenger (trumpet/percussion); Jeff Libby (keys/vox); Marc Latney (bass/vox); Gary McCreary (drums) and Teddy Patterson (sax/vox), the singer's job is easy.

Feel Good Music opens with the title track, a funky mix of Rock, Soul, R&B and Jazz. Feel Good Music is a party all its own, with both Jessica and Leonard Patterson chipping in on vocals. Sway is a light Hip-Hop tune that is well written and well played. Jessica Patterson has a voice that could succeed in most any era or style, while Leonard Patterson has a strong sound but is perhaps not quite as versatile. 2 West is built on a killer bass riff, with jazz guitar and horns filling out the sound. This highly entertaining instrumental highlights the instrumental talent of the band, particularly keymaster Jeff Libby, who is nothing short of brilliant here.

Right Place (Right Time) is a frenetically paced tune fill with social conscience. The song highlights Living Proof's mission, of sorts, of making the world a better place. The song is highly repetitive and with little substance. The rest of the album is decent enough, but not up to the energy or standards of the first half of the disc. Dance With Me is a highlight simple on the basis of Jessica Patterson’s voice. The song is a bit on the bland side, but Patterson will make you forget.

Living Proof have the reputation of a big time concert band in their home market. That may be, but on the whole the material on Feel Good Music just doesn’t add up to the reputation. Feel Good Music is a solid effort, but just doesn’t live up to the hype that surrounds Living Proof.

Rating: 2.5 Stars (Out of 5)

You can learn more about Living Proof at www.livingproofmusic.com or www.myspace.com/livingproofband. You can download Feel Good Music from Amazon.com. As an aside, from a business perspective, indie bands could learn a lot from Living Proof and how they structure their press kit materials. It's the most professional and easy-to-peruse I've seen.

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