Welcome to the town of Hamburg, Germany. Probably most famous for bringing the Beatles, good fish and the Reeperbahn, Hamburg now has a new attraction to offer and enjoy. Introducing: Rhonda!
The German five-piece centred around chanteuse Milo Milone have put out a pair of seven-inch nuggets on the beautiful little label Copasetic Records (which is well worth checking out) and have now moved to PIAS to release “Raw Love”, their debut LP. They have supported and earned praise from Paul Weller on his German tour, and deservedly so, as they show us on the 11 songs on “Raw Love”.
Well wait, that’s wrong. It’s not 11 songs, but 11 potential singles! But let’s start from the top. Rhonda introduce themselves to us with a dirty organ riff and a thumping beat on opener “Terrible Lie”. As soon as Milo kicks in with her voice, it’s clear that Rhonda’s strength is the powerful songwriting, bringing us anthemic, catchy tunes. They put as much verve in a verse as most people do in a chorus. But as soon as they get to the chorus, they blow away the seats and get us on our feet. They kick in the door and blow us away completely, not only due to the instrumental and melodic power, but the singing abilities of Ms. Malone can simply not be underestimated. Seriously: This is probably the best voice in music since Amy Winehouse. Trust me. Just when you think she can’t get any more powerful, she pulls another high note from somewhere to put some raw energy in. “Terrible Lie” leaves you wowed, but does it get better from here?
Well I’m happy to tell you that it does. “Raw Love” doesn’t just recycle old northern soul styles for a quick buck from Scenesters; it takes them and pairs them with modern elements with an incredible versatility. Movie soundtracks can be heard (someone there has been listening to loads of Morricone), as well as ska, acid jazz, contemporary pop and garage rock. Any song off of “Raw Love” can make people dance, but no two songs on here will make people dance in the same manner. That’s where the album succeeds.
Another thing I like about this record is that it’s not overproduced. Any soul record these days seems to be overloaded with horns and strings, so that everyone gets the message of “Hey, this is soul, mate. You should probably dance.” Rhonda has strings and horns as well, but they use them in healthily small doses so their effect is maximised. Usually, they focus on a simple drums-bass-guitar-organ formula to give Milo the perfect foundation to carry their strong melodies over the varying grooves.
It’s hard to pick out highlights from the 11 tracks (it’s all killer, no filler), but aside from “Terrible Lie”, I’d recommend listening to their acid jazz mover “Sound Of Soda”, the Specials-esque “Bruno” and the one song closest to a ballad here, “That’s How I Roll”. Bring this album to your next BBQ, play it out of your convertible, play it to your friends. Let it soundtrack your summer, basically because in a perfect world, “Raw Love” will be the soundtrack to everyone’s summer of 2014.
“Raw Love” will be out on July 25 via PIAS Records.
