Tuxedo : Tuxedo
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Tuxedo : Tuxedo

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You’ll be able to tell a lot about a person from what they make of Tuxedo. Pitbull is a fan for starters. Like a throwback to ‘80s white boy funksters, Tuxedo are Mayer Hawthorne and Jake One. They’re smoother than a velvet glove and their music is a souped-up Philadelphia sound with upfront bass, synthesiser and programming. These run in tandem with the safe funk strands of a less revolutionary sounding Simply Red.

Aside from frequently bastardising the English language, the slick production should ensure they get a satisfactory amount of airplay on less critical radio stations. A heady mix of Sylvester, Sade and Edwin Starr, Tuxedo make an elegant slide into a stately kind of funk and deliberately embark on a retro grand tour. It’s a return to action in the name of an idea rather than the application of individual thought to an imagined bohemia. R U Ready and Get U Home have elements of chauvinism that cannot be pitied or protected, although a degree of redemption is provided by Watch The Dance and Tuxedo Groove. Tuxedo display an obvious and substantial talent, albeit one which is inherently confined by rigid boundaries and repeated themes. It’s pretty and listenable, but leaves the lasting effect of a painting a watercolour in the rain. After the canapés, caviar and Moet, Tuxedo want you to dance your arse off.

Dripping with imitation and sophistication you get a very accessible swing with The Right Time and Roll Along. The latter commences with a gloriously fat bass riff. So whilst some elements of Tuxedo bear the hallmarks of cheek-sucking catwalk burlesque, they do achieve a collage of warming, although not entirely hot, sound.

BY BRONIUS ZUMERIS