Roger Cole & Paul Barrere – “All That I Need”
Roger Cole & Paul Barrere – “All That I Need” – Single Review
When I covered the last single from Roger Cole & Paul Barrere called “Political Freakshow” – I also mentioned the fact that this duo was clearly hitting their stride and creating their best music to-date. I’ve covered a lot of their music…I felt confident in my assessment.
Today – I’ll give you further proof of that.
“All That I Need” made an immediate impact and impression. You all know I do my best to maintain my objectivity while reviewing…I’ll read information on any given artist/band but I’d never read a review on anything I’m about to write prior to writing it. Sometimes you catch a snippet or two without being able to help it…you’ll see headlines on social-media…or, if you’re like me, you’ll fall victim to reading comments from listeners on a song as it plays at Soundcloud – that happens to me all the time. It happened to me this time. As soon as I started “All That I Need” and immediately got into the rhythm and stomp of its intro…the drums head into a supreme groove and just past ten-seconds in I see the comment ‘Let’s Shuffle’ – and I had to crack a smile because I was instantly thinking that same very thing. The drums and low-end groove in the bass maintain an excellent relationship throughout the entire structure of “All That I Need” – which of course, makes sense given that Roger is playing both. His credits continue to extend to the backing vocals, acoustic guitar, organ, producing, engineering, writing the lyrics…wait a minute here…Paul – are you busy snacking and checking your e-mail? You’ve got Roger working overtime brother!
Thankfully…the man in questions pulls his feet from his ottoman and duff from his chair to really put the heart & soul into this track. I might have just poked him in the ribs for not being as all-over this track as Roger is…but I gotta hand it to Paul on this one – for me it was those accenting lead-guitar notes that fit this song so perfectly I couldn’t take my ears off’em at times. For the record…given that I’ve listed all Roger’s credits…I should note that Paul splits the duties on the lyrics/production and takes the lead on singing this tune; he’s not just kicking tumbleweeds waiting for a chance to solo, I assure you. More than involved here as you’d expect – he’s got a great sound to the tone of his voice that really matches the energy, style and groove of “All That I Need” tremendously well. It’s got that like…Sly & The Family Stone kind of cool going-on throughout the entire cut…reminds me of that slick sound & sweet funk of a track like “If You Want Me To Stay,” maybe closer to the Chili Peppers version in terms of how “All That I Need” sounds like in its recording. In any event, I really like what I’m hearing from Roger Cole & Paul Barrere once again here on this new-single of theirs.
AND…Roger…buddy…pal…you don’t think I’d let this review finish off without mentioning the killer organ-solo you laid down right? You know me better than that! As the song approaches the two-minute mark, you can hear the warm glow of the organ-keys start to spring to life – and soon afterwards, you’re right smack in the middle of an intense solo and real highlight-addition to the music of “All That I Need.” These guys are leaving no stone unturned right now in their writing and really getting to the core of their grooves and fully expanding and exploring the ideas in the music they create – and I’ve got a lot of love for that. I’m seriously impressed by these guys and just how strongly they continue to grow as the bond between them thickens and the music tightens-up as a result…I’ve really enjoyed their evolution in sound and I’m stoked that they’re making music with passion, rhythm and skills all coming together as one & sounding as strong as it does now. The last singles of this duo have all left an impact and they continue to show they’re on the right path…only instead of showing promise & potential like in their earliest-work, they’re now delivering, in-full. Awesome rhythm & groove on “All That I Need” that you just can’t ignore…uplifting energy, solidly written and expertly performed – what’s not to love?
Find out more about Roger Cole & Paul Barrere at their official home at Better Daze Records: http://betterdazemusic.com/
Join the thousands of bands & artists reviewed at sleepingbagstudios by clicking here!
