MCNEAL & NILES- “THRUST”
This reissue of the lone full-length from husband and wife Machelle McNeal and Wilbur Niles, straddles that fine line between smooth jazz-funk and a porn soundtrack. If you don't know where to begin, imagine Herbie Hancock and the Headhunters popping a 'Iude and making sweet love down by the fire. Heavy on Rhodes piano, slap-happy bass lines, and wah-wah gui-tar, the appropriately titled Thrust was first released in 1979 on Tinkertoo Records. Now remas-tered from the original vinyl, the recording retains its authentic dusty sound, and the composi-tions' soulful textures still stand strong 25 years later. "Summer Time," the only vocal track on this mostly instrumental album, feels exactly like you'd expect: breezy, warm, and nostalgic.