Free Nationals: Free Nationals review – soulful vibes abound

The debut album by Anderson .Paak’s live band sounds like what it is: an album by his crack musicians made (mostly) without the singer-rapper. As with many of the grooves the LA quartet lay down, Kelsey Gonzalez (bass), Ron “Tnava” Avant (keyboard/vocoder), Callum Connor (drums) and José Rios (guitar) pay conscious homage to the giants of funk and soul – most notably Stevie Wonder and Curtis Mayfield. The slinky harmonies are reminiscent of the Stylistics. There are funky drum beats, sci-fi synth noises, fat basslines and soulful melodies that all evoke gas-guzzling 70s cars with shag-pile carpets.

Paak pops up on the electronically funky Gidget, but vocals are otherwise handled by an eclectic array of guests. Shafiq Husain contributes deep, Barry White-style narratives to Obituaries while, conversely, Kadhja Bonet, Syd and Kali Uchis exude airy femininity on On Sight, Shibuya and Time respectively. Sensual, soulful vibes abound.

Daniel Caesar and Unknown Mortal Orchestra’s Ruban Nielson bring “sex and flowers” and “aphrodisiac potions” to the exquisitely dreamy Beauty and Essex, although may risk being shown the door with a line such as: “Just looking for affection, add a piece to my collection.” Rapper TI raises the tempo with the excellent Cut Me a Break, while Chronixx brings trademark wistful reggae yearnings to Eternal Light. The instrumental Lester Diamond is more satisfactory than sensational, but it’s hard to begrudge the band their moment in the moonlight.