Crack of Dawn release Spotlight
Crack of Dawn’s new record Spotlight opens with a song
titled simply enough, “Crack of Dawn,” a track that immediately jumps right
into the same, reliably charming funk that gave this group their infamous start
in the 1970s and is keeping them pumping as hard as the heart of a young lover
in 2018. “Wake me up at the crack of dawn, we gonna get it on” we’re told, and
never have I felt so eager to break into this new day that’s awaiting us in the
nine tracks to follow; this is the long overdue trip that fans Crack of Dawn
have been waiting to take for some time now, and at as “Somebody’s Watching”
starts up, it’s clear that our moment has finally arrived.
“Somebody’s Watching” gets us lit up with some white hot
guitar riffing that’s punctuated with a bass that goes for a walk around the
vocals and driving drum beat. It’s a great buffer and intro into the equally
spellbinding and funky “Booby Ruby,” a boisterous number that evokes Stevie
Wonder’s grinding keys and methodical pitch attack. Even with the shifts in the
tempo between the first three songs, Spotlight features an ambiance that
remains the same throughout its entire play, without getting too monotonous or
stuck on a certain theme. Take for example the way we practically catapult from
“Booby Ruby” into the thumping, ambitiously agile “Keep the Faith,” a song that
I think needs to be a single up for consideration at this year’s Grammy Awards
if the judges manage to develop any sort of sense. Unlikely, but we can still
dream can’t we?
If there were anyone worth their wits in the American music
establishment, a song like “It’s Alright” would already be towering over the
charts as we head into the summer season – which has pretty much always been
the primetime for sensuous love songs of its high caliber. It’s matched in
creativity by “Ol’ Skool,” my favorite song on Spotlight. “Ol’ Skool” is a very
autobiographical song for the band, but not once does Crack of Dawn give us the
impression that they’re lamenting how much time has gone by. Actually, I think
they’re in love with the history they’ve been able to make, and they’re still
down to keep the party going into the next generation and beyond. “Seasons
Change” keeps up with this theme, and makes for a very welcoming melodic break
from all of the strenuous beats we’ve experienced up until this point of the
record.
The title track from Spotlight is easily the most relaxed
moment of the entire album, dimming the lights and letting the illuminating
pipes of our lead singer direct our attentions further towards the opulent and
sumptuous. It’s the perfect segue into “Your Love” and it’s all out eroticism
that’s planted right into the melodies it so proudly boasts. As the LP draws to
a poignant close with the enchanting “Changes,” everyone who has been listening
might take away a slightly different interpretation of Crack of Dawn’s
intentions with Spotlight, but one thing remains universally agreed upon; their
reemergence really is the best thing that could have happened to pop music
right now.
Thomas Patton, III
