(Nu Jazz, Nu Soul, Female Vocal) [WEB] Slowly Rolling Camera (Dave Stapleton, Dionne Bennett, Deri Roberts, Elliot Bennett) - Slowly Rolling Camera (CD) & Into the Shadow (EP) - 2014, FLAC (tracks), lossless

A band name—and album title—like Slowly Rolling Camera gives little if anything away about the nature of the music to be experienced on this, the debut album from the UK-based quartet. Good—for surprises can be fun. Once the music becomes familiar—the beautiful, imaginative and ambitious compositions become firmly fixed in the mind—the surprise is revealed to be lots of fun.
Two other UK bands, the Cinematic Orchestra and Portishead, are Slowly Rolling Camera's own points of reference for its sound. There's also something of Massive Attack's laid-back confidence—unsurprisingly, as producer Andy Allan has worked with both Portishead and Massive Attack. At its most soulful, on "Protagonist" and "Dream A Life," Slowly Rolling Camera seems to have its roots just as firmly in the sound of Soul II Soul.
The core quartet that forms Slowly Rolling Camera—vocalist Dionne Bennett, keyboard player Dave Stapleton, Deri Roberts on electronics and drummer Elliott Bennett —are augmented by guest musicians including saxophonist Mark Lockheart, bassist Jasper Hoiby and trumpeter Neil Yates. Electronics, keyboards and synths are central to the music but the guest players make emphatic contributions, the acoustic instruments in particular adding a warmth to the sound that the electronics—with the exception of Stapleton's Fender Rhodes—seldom match.
Lockheart's tenor solo on "Rain That Falls" is lyrical, his soprano on "Slowly Rolling Camera" is vibrant and emotive. Høiby's tough, assertive bass gives "Protagonist" real punch and contrasts well with Dionne Bennett's vocal. On "Dream A Life" he combines with Elliot Bennett's drums and Dionne Bennett's vocal at the core of the album's most striking number. Both of these songs, incidentally, highlight the connection with Soul II Soul.
"River Runs Free" is a lovely slice of ambient calm. "Rolling Clouds" is more up-tempo, with Chris Montague's electric guitar, Lockheart's soprano saxophone and Elliot Bennett's drums adding a note of urgency. The Portishead influence is most apparent on songs such as the moody "Fragile Ground" and "Two Roads" and the gorgeous "Bridge"—although Dionne Bennett's voice is more gospel-tinged than Beth Gibbons.'
Slowly Rolling Camera is available as a CD and, courtesy of Edition Records' collaboration with Gearbox Records, as a vinyl album (with download code). The comparisons being bandied about (including the ones in this review) offer a hint at Slowly Rolling Camera's heritage, but an intimate knowledge of the Portishead or Soul II Soul back catalog is far from necessary for enjoyment of the music. Once Slowly Rolling Camera infiltrates the mind with its gorgeous compositions it becomes clear—this album heralds the arrival of a new and distinctive ensemble. (Bruce Lindsay, AllAboutJazz)

SRC have spent 2014 honing their music on the road and have recently returned to the studio to record a bold and striking four track EP, Into The Shadow, for release on 10th November 2014. Into The Shadow sees the band deepen and further develop their sound, integrating lush electronic soundscapes, emotive melodies, shifts in dynamic and pace. With Elliot Bennett’s virtuosic, robust groove and Robert’s exemplary production techniques, it provides the perfect setting for the captivating, soulful voice of Dionne Bennett to impressively mould her lyrics around the musical arrangement.
In order to capture the spirit and energy of the band the EP was written and recorded in only three months. Employing the creative spirit and boundless energies of Mancunian master guitarist Stuart McCallum (Cinematic Orchestra), Bristol based Ben Waghorn on sax and Aidan Thorne, Cardiff’s top double bassist, Slowly Rolling Camera’s new recording has a big sound and big ambitions to match.
The suite-like opener River’s End, a song about asking for forgiveness, introduces a powerful and emotive ambience from the off. The title track, with its gloriously empowering crescendo, takes the power of love in transforming loneliness via the sweet sound of the string arrangements. Anne leads us through hope to regret with a beautifully raw and emotive stripped down arrangement featuring Fender Rhodes and Bennett’s intimate vocal set against a wall of strings and choral voices. The final track, Riga, forms a satisfying conclusion, its odd time signatures, shifting patterns, beats, grooves and moods defining everything that’s great about this band: bold, brave, experimental but with deep soul.
These four tracks confirm that SRC’s promise is no transient thing and indicates progression on a steep curve. ‘Into The Shadow’ continues to push the musical boundaries and there can only be excitement at where this young, immensely talented outfit can go next. But they remain rooted, however vaunting the ambition. As the band say: “If it moves you, it’s just good music”.