Marian Hill - Sway

Marian Hill
Sway
2015

Marian Hill wants to prove to you that sexual music is not the business of R&B alone. With their smooth music of Jazz, Electronic, Pop and of course some R&B the Philadelphia natives are bringing the sexy funk into the mainstream. The rhythm within these tracks really is something to hear, each instrument whether it is a sax, vocal or blip is used to push the beat forward letting the vocals of Samantha Gongol shine as she croons are warbols her way through track after track. The slick nature of this music allows it to sort of get into every nook and cranny of your being. You are satisfied by the delicate nature of Gongol's voice while everything around it allows you to find something interesting moment to moment. Sway has that experimental nature of Jazz while never taking you fully over that edge where Jazz can descend into something unintelligible to us everyday listeners. 

There is also a boldness to this record, Marian Hill are willing to take risks for their music and allow it to move into spaces that most people would not normally think of. That experimental nature pays off and gives us something pleasurable and unique all at the same time. If one criticism is to be made it is that many of the tracks seems to follow the same pattern despite the new sound. The pace never really changes from a smooth roll and some kind of crescendo would really set the entire record off. Sway is the beginning of something really special from Marian Hill, be prepared to hear a great deal from them in the very near future. 

8.0 out of 10