Yes, I know this record was actually released about a year ago. But it somehow escaped my attention then and since it’s a very good album there’s no reason not to feature it on jazz-not-jazz. I only noticed it recently in connection with the release of the Val Watson Live At The Funk Lounge album.
Valerie Watson is famous as the female voice of Club Nouveau (you also may remember their former moniker Timex Social Club and their hit Rumors). Club Nouveau scored a überhit in 1987 with a cover of Bill Withers’ Lean On Me. But for me they became really interesting when they dropped the formulated dance beats and discovered the funk in 1989 on their Warner album Under A Nouveau Groove. In the 90s Val appeared on the Club Nouveau album releases A New Beginning and Everything Is Black. So she’s certainly no newcomer although Urbal is her debut album.
And what could be better than inviting your friends to record your first own album? Well, that’s what Val did and that’s why you can hear an impressive number of artists on this set like George Clinton, George Duke, Bootsy Collins, Gerald Albright, Patrice Rushen, Jane Eugene, Sugar Foot, or Michael Cooper.
If you recall my enthusiasm for Mark De Clive-Lowe’s Tide’s Arising album and its P-Funk borrowings, you know that I really like an album that offers something different from what dominates most other albums these days. And that’s just what Urbal is, an album full of crisp and tight funk grooves combined with some fine ballads like the sublime, ultra soulful slow groove of Flower. A song that would be worth the price for the album alone.
If you’re familiar with the afore mentioned Club Nouveau releases it’s not really a surprise that Val explores funk territory on this album.
Songs like Do What Come Funky (featuring George Clinton), The Real…(Do-Do)(featuring Bootsy Collins and Michael Cooper) or Earth, Wind & Fire show that Val has studied the eclectic masters of funk very well. And she certainly gets her diploma with her very own blend and sound of neo funk and ballads.

Tracklisting of Urbal: 1. Corner (Intro)/ 2. Pass the Vibe/ 3. Earth, Wind, & Fire/ 4. That’s Funked Up/ 5. The Real…(Do-Do)/ 6. Whether U Know It/ 7. Soul Shack/ 8. Do What Come Funky/ 9. High (It’s My State of Mind)/ 10. Flower/ 11. Days Like This/ 12. Alright | released 2004 by Thump Records

For more infos visit valwatson.com.

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