Places and Spaces in Bloomington, MN

Reuniting with
Larry Mizell
, the man behind his last three LPs,
Donald Byrd
continues to explore contemporary
soul
,
funk
, and
R&B
with
Places and Spaces
. In fact, the record sounds more urban than its predecessor, which often played like a Hollywood version of the inner city. Keeping the
Isaac Hayes
Curtis Mayfield
Sly Stone
influences of
Street Lady
adds elements of
Marvin Gaye
Earth, Wind & Fire
Stevie Wonder
, which immediately makes the album funkier and more soulful. Boasting sweeping string arrangements, sultry rhythm guitars, rubbery bass, murmuring fluegelhorns, and punchy horn charts, the music falls halfway between the cinematic neo-
of
and the proto-
disco
. Also, the title
does mean something -- there are more open spaces within the music, which automatically makes it funkier. Of course, it also means that there isn't much of interest on
for
jazz
purists, but the album would appeal to most fans of
Philly soul
, lite
, and proto-
. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine