Night Time Moves is the debut solo album by Aisling Iris, a London-based, Irish-born singer-songwriter. She grew up listening to both jazz and funk, and Night Time Moves blends these two genres to good effect, and will probably appeal to fans of Natalie Williams, Gretchen Parlato, Monday Michiru, and the like. Her vocal influences include Ella Fitzgerald, for her ability to tackle any song, Betty Carter, in particular for her scatting, and Marvin Gaye, for both his vocal tone and harmonies; in fact, her own backing vocals are one of the many highlights on this album. She also cites Stevie Wonder’s songwriting, and the music of Herbie Hancock.
In the past, Iris collaborated with the legendary pop music producer, Tony Swain, but clearly felt she wanted to go in her own direction. Her main collaborators here are the multi-instrumentalist Andrew McLean, who has worked with the likes of Grace Jones, and producer Drew Horley, whose love of classic synths helped to flesh out her musical ideas.
The album gets off to a strong start with Loverman’s slow, hypnotic drum shuffle and warm keyboard sound; the vocal tone and arrangement reminded me slightly of Amel Larrieux, which can’t be a bad thing. The Way I Want sounds like it might be her personal manifesto, as she explains she’s “making music, the way I want”. Again, there’s some lovely harmony singing in the bridge, before she gives way to a fine keyboard solo.
The title track is one of my favourites on the album; it’s more of a pop song, with hints of Amy Winehouse, in part because of the horn arrangement, which features Jerry Vivino on saxophone (and flute).
In The Mood slows the pace, and Iris softens her voice too, creating a sensual vibe. L.O.V.E. with dots, not dashes, is an original, not an Al Green cover. It’s an uptempo funk tune, with a delicious, infectious keyboard groove.
Show Me The Way is a slow burner, opening with a leisurely drumbeat, and some shimmering piano and electric piano, before Iris comes in with a lovely, measured vocal. As the song comes to an end, there’s an excellent trumpet solo, courtesy if Yelfris Valdes.
Passing Clouds is another highlight; there’s an excellent keyboard groove, some lovely rolling piano, more trumpet from Valdes, and a great vocal arrangement by Iris. This track reminded me of some of the classic Monday Michiru albums.
Who Do You Love is more stripped back, allowing more space for Iris’s lyrics to shine. Dreams boasts a Wonder-like keyboard groove, Iris snapping her fingers to the beat, which is hard to resist. My Mission (I Want your Love) is another top tune, with a strong vocal from Iris, who really shines at the top of her range.
There are a couple of weaker moments. Living In The City boasts a hard-hitting lyric, highlighting the growing gap between the haves and have-nots in London. In my view, the song was let down by an over-wordy chorus; on a more positive note, the music video is fantastic, and well worth checking out. Likewise the ballad, Nothing’s Forever, was not one of the more memorable tunes, despite the shimmering piano from Phil Craig.
But there are minor complaints. Iris has a strong voice, which sounds equally at ease with uptempo jazz-funk and delicate ballads, and she has written some good tunes on Night Time Moves. She appears regularly on the London circuit, with her next big appearance scheduled at the Soulstice Festival on 24th June. On this evidence, the show will be well worth checking out. Details can be found on her website here.