Review

by James Christopher Monger
Some bands defy categorization on purpose; Chicago's Sonia Dada do it naturally. Their intoxicating blend of R&B, pop, and worldbeat has found them wrongfully lumped into the jam band scene, a genre that, while supportive, tends to pigeonhole artists indefinitely. Their latest, the ambitious Test Pattern, opens in a wash of tablas and "Bollywood" vocals before morphing into a sun-drenched Americana road trip led by the distinctive vocals of Sam Hogan, Michael Scott, and Paris Delane. Test Pattern works as a single song, flowing effortlessly between gospel-tinged soundscapes like "Saturday" and soul-jazz rave-ups like "Take Back." At times it's like a sequel to Prince's 1987 "everything including the kitchen sink" double-disc Sign 'O' the Times, if the Purple One had allowed Daniel Lanois to produce it. The slick production works because the material warrants it — the down-on-your-luck "Gordon" is as warm as it is heartbreaking and the rolling thunder of percussion that fuels "Dark Visions" is vast and majestic. The sampled bombards, bursts of mandolins and sitars, and truly sublime and soulful vocals keep Test Pattern from unraveling into a slick piece of adult contemporary refuse, something that could easily have happened had the members not been blessed with impeccable restraint. Swirling beneath each track is a multicultural symphony, but that symphony prefers to accompany the song rather than bury it in unnecessary pomp and circumstance.

 

Liner Notes
Welcome to Sonia Dada's sixth CD (their fifth new studio recording of original music). The record marks 10 years since their first release, the self-titled Sonia Dada. By nature, Sonia Dada has always been a bit of an experimental band. The players are five rock, jazz and blues musicians, while the singers are four gospel-tinged vocalists. Based out of Chicago and residing over the country, their influences are far and wide. A fast and loose description of Sonia Dada's music for the uninitiated might be, "Little Feat meets The Temptations," but Sonia Dada cannot be categorized easily and the new album merely further attests to that fact. On Test Pattern, the band brings Eastern influences and instrumentation from around the world into the fold, resulting in the richest Sonia Dada sound yet.

Of the 12 songs on the new album, you can count several standouts, including "Moons Of Jupiter," "Diggin' On The Road" and "Ragdoll," with Shawn Christopher on vocals. On "Old Bones," the first single, the band is in fine form with sweet harmonies, a great melody, Michael Scott on lead vocals at his usual heartfelt best—and even a mandolin! And check out one of the disc's funkiest tracks, "Take Back," which features brass added to the mix. All in all, perhaps their best work since A Day At The Beach or My Secret Life.

If there is a breakout musician on this album it is Erik Scott, a fine bass player who has always done outstanding work. This album has several tracks that put him in a class with Jaco Pastorius, Stanley Clarke and James Jamerson of Motown fame. Erik also shares the production duties with Dan Pritzker, Ron Schwartz and Scott Steiner. Pritzker has written and or co-written every song Sonia Dada has ever recorded, with the exception of their cover of Sly & The Family Stone's "I Want To Take You Higher" on Lay Down And Love It Live. Pritzker has truly outdone himself this time around with some of his finest writing and production yet.

Longtime fans are in for a treat on this upcoming summer tour. The band is back in their original form, with the exception of David Resnik on guitar. Phil Miller replaced Resnik on tour awhile back. I've seen Sonia Dada perform since 1997 and have never seen them without Phil Miller, who is an exceptional guitarist. Sam Hogan has returned on vocals, Hank Guaglianone is on drums and Chris "Hambone" Cameron is on keys, in addition to Michael Scott, Paris Delane and Shawn Christopher on vocals. Christopher sang on every album, but was not an official member until My Secret Life.

 

 

Acclaimed nine-piece band Sonia Dada create an uplifting postmodern collage of roots rock, world, gospel and R&B on their sixth album, the June 22nd Calliope Music/Razor & Tie release 'Test Pattern.' Long known for a soulful blend of genres, and undeniable live shows, on the new album the Chicago based band marks a creative evolution with a high-tech, layered approach to studio recording.

Test Pattern' follows the release of 2002's "gloriously infectious" (Chicago Sun Times) 'Barefoot Soul' by two years, but work on both albums actually began around the same time. Guitarist and principal songwriter Dan Pritzker chose several songs to share with a longtime friend, pianist and engineer Ron Schwartz, who deconstructed and reorchestrated the band's recordings.

According to Pritzker, 'Barefoot Soul' was "a straightforward, simple kind of soul record," while Schwartz's production work on 'Test Pattern' was "highly layered." Making 'Test Pattern' was like tearing up a painting into a million little pieces of colored paper and reassembling it as a collage," he says.

The result is an energetic collection of twelve original songs with classic blues, soul and gospel melodies immersed in layers of futuristic rhythmic and ambient sound. "Moons of Jupiter" opens the album with Bollywood influenced strings and a pulsating drum loop that give way to a pop/R&B melody that recalls classic Minneapolis funk. "Temple" features exultant gospel vocals, organ and wah guitar made even more kinetic with booming electronic bass and percussion. "Old Bones, " the album¹s first single, is a straight-ahead roots rocker.

Fans of the band will have their first chance to hear this material when the band plays the Mystic Theatre in Petaluma, CA on May 27, Strawberry Festival in Yosemite, CA, on May 29, including their Gospel Revival the next morning before heading to Caesar's Tahoe in Tahoe, CA, later on May 30. A full U.S. tour is planned for the summer.

'Test Pattern' will be released with a short DVD film shot by Canadian filmmaker Jeth Weinrich. The DVD provides a visual accompaniment to the audio CD and also includes incidental Soniadada music.

Sonia Dada's brimming sound is the product of the band's nine extraordinary musicians, a group with diverse styles and ethnic backgrounds. The band formed in 1990, when Pritzker met singers Paris Delane, Michael Scott and Sam Hogan on a Chicago subway platform, where they were singing in three-part harmony. Pritzker approached them on the spot about forming a band. Rounded out by vocalist Shawn Christopher, David Resnik on guitar, bassist Erik Scott, Chris Cameron on keyboards and drummer Hank Guaglianone, Soniadada released its self-titled debut album in 1992. The Chicago Tribune has written of the band, "If a band could ever be said to be a microcosm of Chicago, Sonia Dada is it."