MAKTUB
Say What You Mean (Velour)
Reviewed by DJ Johnson

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I have to admit, the second I see "R&B" in the description of the music played by a band I'm about to review, my shields go up. Not that I can't appreciate a great band when I hear one despite the close proximity of said shields. It's just a fact, a sad result of years of bad music based on a few elements of great music from light years ago. Seattle's Maktub is promoted as an R&B band, but it's really soul music, and there's a lot of rock in there, as well. They have the most fortunate of all circumstances going for them: they can do just about anything and it comes out sounding fresh and vital, and, most importantly, it comes out sounding like Maktub. There's a reason A&R reps from record companies don't even want to hear from anyone who says "My band plays several styles of music." Such bands have no focus or identifiable sound, at least in 99.9% of the cases. Maktub is among the .01% that buck the odds. Lead vocalist Reggie Watts has a strong voice and plenty of range, but he goes for subtlety much of the time, hanging back near the baritone range and building the power and tension before taking off into a most amazing falsetto. This guy has pipes! On the downtempo rocker "Nobody Loves You Like I Do," Watts turns in a world-class performance, but don't forget to give it another listen and note the great playing behind him. They paddle into the deep waters of dub music and light psych, and not one second of it is heavy-handed. All of it has a soulful feeling it can't help having with the voice of Reggie Watts delivering the words. If only more modern R&B could be like Maktub.

© 2005 - DJ Johnson