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Bassist Darryl Anders and AgapéSoul have released their long-awaited sophomore album, Conversations. Similar to their first album, the modern soul band dishes out beautiful melodies and lush harmonies held together by Anders’ rich bass tone. This time around they called upon some fantastic guest artists including Tommy Sims, Geoffrey Williams, Eric Gales, Paul Jackson Jr., and members of Snarky Puppy.
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Another set which really had me reaching for the repeat button, is this new album from AgapéSoul. A little like a new Incognito album, if I might say. Essentially, AgapéSoul is a project from bassist Darryl Anders. Darryl was originally a trumpeter before switching to bass. The Californian based artist released his self-titled debut album in 2012. Been a while until this follow-up set, ‘Conversations’, and the wait has been well worth the passing of time.
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DARRYL ANDERS is one of America's top session bassists... his credits are many and varied but soul fans will know him from his work with Tower of Power and Booker T Jones. (Before that, by the way, he was a top man in the world of musical video gaming).
In 2010 Darryl struck out on his own with a band that he dubbed AGAPÉSOUL. ("agapé" is the ancient Greek word for "love" in its widest, divine context). Their long player, 'Believe In Love' won wide critical acclaim, reaching no. 1 on the UK soul charts. |
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SonicSoulReviews.com by Joerg Schmitt
Conversations: is the communication between soul and jazz, along with the exchange and understanding between highly skilled musicians which results in the creation of fresh new ideas. Together we are stronger. Darryl Anders and his AgapeSoul project prove the ancient wisdom once more. His "Conversations" is a well-tempered Soul-Jazz Revue (enriched with the natural swerve in the direction of Gospel, R & B and Funk) - 10 extremely well crafted songs create a very solid “state of the art” stretching the boundaries without the need of exceeding limits. Darryl’s bass leads a tight ensemble with Zoe Ellis (vocals and co-writer), Cam Perridge (guitar and co-producer), Lynette Williams (Keys) and Aaron Green, who provides the flexible foundation. The associated guest list is long and prominent (Tommy Sims, Geoffrey Williams, Ivan Neville, Paul Jackson Jr., and Levi Seacer ...) which provided sufficient source material for all the participants in this musical conversation in the studio. Now we can all enjoy the end result. |
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deBassist Magazine written by Chris P Dekker
Darryl Anders is not a household name – yet – but you may know him as the bass products mngr. / clinician from Dunlop/MXR. Or maybe from our NAMM videos. But above all Darryl is a truly awesome bass player, who shows us what he's capable of with his band AgapéSoul. He has some very talented friends in the music world and he was able to enlist people like Eric Gales and the Snarky Puppy horns to help him. The songs on the album go from sweet ballads to extremely funky, with Darryl’s amazing bass playing in the center of it all. He always takes space for himself and he has a great tone. From driving funky grooves to melodic sexy bass lines: the album has it all. It's not just a great recommendation for bass freaks, but it’s a beautiful and versatile album, with a certain cohesive sound, where funk, sweet soul and r&b blend together seamlessly. |
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Blue in Green Radio Interview ~ AgapéSoul
'Conversations' marks the sophomore album effort from the Darryl Anders-helmed collective known as AgapeSoul. Six years after the band's debut album, 'Believe in Love', was released in 2012, AgapeSoul have taken their time to craft a stunning follow-up album and build on the foundations laid by this project's predecessor. |
