Dancing and Singing with EIGHT DAYS ACROSS AMERICA
A few months back, we covered Grapefruit Sound Lab’s single, “Love Cards”. The single came ahead of the full length release Eight Days Across America. The album features 8 tracks of electronic dance music that is sure to have even the most dour souls singing and dancing along.
Grapefruit Sound Lab is Robert Cotnoir and a host of guests. Amuka, who sings on “Love Cards”, appears on a total of 3 tracks, while other guest vocalists Sarah Naughton and Gina Volpe also appear on the album, along with a host of other fantastic musicians from all over the world. The NJ based DJ, producer, singer, songwriter, and musician has an ear for melody and a penchant for collaboration. With the exception of the experimental “Ave Maria” and the slower closing track “Dum Dum Gun”, the album is front to back dance tunes that are infectious, fun, and would be perfect additions to rotation at the club, dance radio stations, your house party, or just blowing off steam in your steam with some killer dance moves.
As a sucker for the big, soulful vocals of Amuka, “Don’t Fall For It” may be the most standout track for this child of the 80s who experienced many a school dance in the 90s. “Don’t Fall For It” harkens to that heyday of Robyn, Snap!, C+C Music Factory, La Bouche, and a host of other similar dance pop groups. Listening to the track brings me back to the days of standing near the wall watching the girls dance while we stood there drinking soda and trying to look cool.
The experimental “Ave Maria” is also a noteworthy track, where ambient landscapes paint a background to repeated recitations of “Hail Mary”.It feels like a welcome break from the whirlwind dance tracks, as it occurs right in the middle of the album. And, while it does break into a more melodic beat about halfway through the track, it never grows to the full fledge dance sound of the rest of the album.
The album closes out with the only other track that isn’t a pure dance banger, “Dum Dum Gun”. A classically inspired song with strings and a political message, likely heavily inspired by singer Sarah Naughton’s work as a political satirist in a comedy duo. An interesting diversion from the rest of the album, it may not be for everyone, but its uniqueness really makes it stand out.
You can hear this great album for yourself below or by heading to GSL’s website.
If nothing else, you’ll surely find yourself dancing along involuntarily… and in 2020, that kind of feeling is necessary for retention of sanity.
