Kalima - Feeling Fine
I never cared much for the original incarnation of Kalima, which featured four fifths of A Certain Ratio getting off their jazz chops. As The Swamp Children, there was a delightful innocence to their Manc jazz-funk, but when the baggy cords and newsboy caps came out, and once they had gotten their splendid cover of The Smiling Hour out of the way, there was little left to keep me listening. As a live band they were just boring and a succession of releases on Factory did little to impress me, and in the end could be summed up as just mundane jazz.
By the late 80's ACR were chasing the charts with A&M, so Kalima's line-up changed with a new drummer, bassist and percussionist. The wonderfully talented Bernard Moss replaced Andy Connell on keys yet his biggest contribution had to be his wonderful flute work.
The basis of Feeling Fine is built around the Moss flute, John Kirkham's lovely jazz guitar and some superb latin percussion. It is a summery, very fresh dreamy affair with superb arrangements and a spacious lush production. Quigley's voice is still there, but this time it is more incidental and pushed back in the mix. As a whole Feeling Fine is a very enjoyable album and perfect listening on a warm summer's eve.
Ripped from an original Factory Records compact disc (FACD 249) released in 1990, to high quality lossless FLAC audio.
1. Shine
2. A Thousand Signs
3. Take It Easy
4. Interstella
5. All The Way Through
6. Big Fat City
7. The Groovy One
8. Azure
9. Unreal
This album was remastered and reissued in an expanded format a few years back. You may still be able to pick up a copy
here.
