Gravity A, New Beginnings (Independent)

Gravity A, New Beginnings, album cover

Drawn to a unique melding of funky backbeats, arena-rock riffs and the pleasing aesthetics of the Apple-lit jam generation, fans (via a Kickstarter campaign) financed New Beginnings, the first LP from space-rockers Gravity A since adding guitarist Danny Abel and bassist Devin Kerrigan. This investment pays immediate dividends when, three minutes into the opening title track, the raw power and pure intention this promising young band possesses at its peak moments come alive in the stellar synth work of Andrew Meehan, tenacious drumming of Michael Fouquier and blistering saxophone of Khris Royal, who, though not officially a Gravity A member, is a live-set staple and contributes to four tracks on the album. “Funny Face” ushers in an ass-shakin’ dance party, complete with enchanting disco-diva vocals courtesy Mykia Jovan. Abel flexes solid Southern-rock muscle with bluesy guitar leads on “Simple Man,” a seemingly absurd Lynyrd Skynyrd cover that actually works, with Dumstaphunk’s Nick Daniels III’s rich, deep vocals an unexpected treat. Kerrigan’s thump dominates the intro to “2-4-2’sdays”—an extended jam with like-minded musicians in Royal, Derrick Freeman, Tim Green, M@ Peoples and Christin Bradford, whose vocals on “Some1 like You” lend a chilling beauty to the cohesive, yet sonically complex, groove of Gravity A, local funkonauts likely soon destined for orbits far beyond just our own.