- Detroit is recognized as the birthplace of the Motown sound from the 60's and 70's giving rise to groups like The Four Tops, The Temptations and The Jackson 5. Also hailing from Detroit is Joseph 'Amp' Fiddler, whose talent spans soul sounds mixed with a healthy dose of jazz, hip hop, funk and urban flavours. Amp Fiddler's talent has seen him work with the likes of Jamiroquai, Brand New Heavies, Prince and funk legend George Clinton. Not content with just performing on stage and writing music, Amp has taken to producing his own music resulting in the release of his solo debut - 'Waltz Of A Ghetto Fly'.
On a laidback R&B tip are tunes like I Believe In You and Eye To Eye both of which ooze funk and sexuality thanks to funky bassline s. Dreamin' on a soulful jazz fusion tip, which is co-written by Lucy Pearl's Raphael Saadiq who plays keyboards for the track. Possibilities covers the jazz spectrum with Amp Fiddler improvising melodies on his Nord Electro.
Respected Detroit hip hop producer Jay Dee provides beats for the intro track and tunes like You Play Me which goes down a smooth R&B/hip hop tip, and there's the title track which features the vocals of George Clinton. For those who know Jay Dee's work with groups like Slum Village will instantly recognise the deep thumping basslines and subtle drum programming, simple yet effective enough to induce head nodding.
The album is not all downtempo, with tracks like Love & War which seems to have emerged at the right time - much like the classic War track of the 70's. Grand Central Records artist Only Child programmed the beats for the uptempo ride Superficial giving the song a beat driven samba house feel.
Waltz Of A Ghetto Fly offers urban fans a lot more than mainstream appeal, instead Amp Fiddler goes down the path that artists like Maxwell, D'Angelo and Lucy Pearl take. Lush musical arrangements, sweet vocal melodies and jazzy beats with a notable hip hop edge to them. Perhaps a little more laidback than Lucy Pearl and probably more designed for the lounge than the club, Waltz Of A Ghetto Fly is a great album for chilling out or swooning potential paramours into the sack.