Hard Groove
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| Hard Groove | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | May 20, 2003 | |||
| Recorded | January–September, 2002 | |||
| Studio | Electric Lady Studios, NYC | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 72:17 | |||
| Label | Verve[1] 065 192-2 | |||
| Producer | Roy Hargrove | |||
| Roy Hargrove chronology | ||||
| ||||
Hard Groove is a studio album by American trumpeter Roy Hargrove, released on May 20, 2003.[2][3] It is credited to his group, The RH Factor.[4]
The album peaked at No. 185 on the Billboard 200.[5] "I'll Stay" was nominated for a Grammy Award, in the "Best R&B Performance By a Duo or Group with Vocals" category.[6]
Produced by Hargrove, the album was recorded at Electric Lady Studios in New York City.[7][8] Hargrove used a 10-piece band on the album.[9] He considered it to be a tribute to his childhood love of hip hop; he also wanted to impart a gospel or spiritual element to the music.[10][11] Bassists Reggie Washington and Pino Palladino were among the musicians on the album.[12]
D'Angelo appears on the cover of Funkadelic's "I'll Stay".[13] Renée Neufville sang on "Juicy",[14] while Q-Tip rapped on "Poetry", which whom Meshell Ndegeocello and Erykah Badu also appeared on.[15][16] Anthony Hamilton sang on "Kwah/Home".[17]
The album cover was designed by Rudy Gutierrez, who was inspired by the art of Santana's Abraxas.[18]
Critical reception
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| All About Jazz |    [19] |
| AllMusic | [20] |
| The Atlanta Journal-Constitution | B[14] |
| The Gazette | [16] |
| The Guardian | [21] |
| The Penguin Guide to Jazz Recordings | [22] |
The Boston Globe deemed Hard Groove a "genre-busting album [that] is a funky showcase of Hargrove's musical alacrity."[23] The New York Times labeled it "a late-night party album: it begins upbeat then settles into a stoned haze."[24] The Birmingham Post concluded that "there's a 1970's retro feel which conjures up Donald Byrd's hits, as well as some funk worthy of George Clinton, but it's also very up-to-date, especially in the sophistication of the studio sound."[25]
The Washington Post wrote: "Loose-limbed and groove-driven, it occasionally sounds overplayed and undercomposed as the musicians struggle to find the right balance of rhythmic momentum and jazz improvisation."[15] The New York Amsterdam News stated that Hargrove "plays on the edge of his imagination using jazz improvisations as the key to display another exciting element of his creativity."[26]
AllMusic called the album "an exploration of his multidimensional musical attributes and his belated recognition of years of 'open-eared moonlighting'."[20] The Penguin Guide to Jazz determined that "Pastor 'T'" "might be one of Hargrove's best performances on record."[22]
Track listing
All tracks are written by Roy Hargrove except where noted.
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Hardgroove" | Bernard Wright | 5:31 |
| 2. | "Common Free Style" | 5:57 | |
| 3. | "I'll Stay" | 7:50 | |
| 4. | "Interlude" |
| 0:59 |
| 5. | "Pastor 'T'" | Keith Anderson | 5:44 |
| 6. | "Poetry" |
| 5:48 |
| 7. | "The Joint" | 5:41 | |
| 8. | "Forget Regret" | Jacques Schwarz-Bart | 3:52 |
| 9. | "Out of Town" | 3:58 | |
| 10. | "Liquid Streets" | 4:59 | |
| 11. | "Kwah/Home" | 6:00 | |
| 12. | "How I Know" | 4:56 | |
| 13. | "Juicy" |
| 6:34 |
| 14. | "The Stroke" | 4:28 | |
| Total length: | 72:17 | ||