Jules Carter Trio
Album: Done Misbehaving
Label: Self Released
Tracks: 11
Website: http://www.facebook.com/JulesCarterTrio/info

Apparently "Done Misbehaving" is album number two for the Jules Carter Trio, but details about the debut are sketchy to say the least, including on the band's own media. It was actually called "Just Can't Lose (Playing The Blues)" but you've got to look quite hard to find the reference.

Anyhow, "Done Misbehaving" is the first album from Hertford's, Jules Carter Trio to make it over the threshold of the Fatea Office and an intriguing and to be honest slightly inconsistent album it is, there are some tracks that show the blues-funk-jazz combo know how to put a song together, "27 Club" which focuses on the legend that 27 often proves to be a real difficult age to get past for a lot of innovative musicians, but there are also a couple of points where I think they come up short and that includes the closing track "Ma Belle"

Now before I get back to the positives, let me explain what I think the problem is, context. It feels like there's a lot of improvisation across "Done Misbehaving" a lot of studio live takes with the band in a particular groove, sometimes a bit more jazzy, sometimes a bit more blues and sometimes with a bit more of a funk tone. Each song captures a mood, a feeling, an essence, each says a lot about the band and how they work.

Using "Ma Belle" as an example, on its own I think it probably works, you could make it work in the live environment by coming out of "Bedroom Eyes", the previous cut, having a bit of banter with the audience, reset the mood a bit and into the number and the album lacks that bridge. What it doesn't lack is a guest appearance by Elliot Randall to add his own brand of magic to "The Purdie Shuffle", which pays tribute to his former band mate, Bernard Purdie.

There is a lot to recommend "Done Misbehaving", it's well worth checking out, but it's one of those album's where you might not get the whole picture.

Neil King