The Crossing (Menahan Street Band album)

The Crossing
A photo of a man walking across a snowy field
Studio album by
ReleasedOctober 30, 2012 (2012-10-30)
StudioDunham Sound Studio, Brooklyn, New York City, New York, United States
Genre
Length38:43
LabelDaptone/Dunham
ProducerThomas Brenneck
Menahan Street Band chronology
Make the Road by Walking
(2008)
The Crossing
(2012)
The Exciting Sounds of Menahan Street Band
(2021)

The Crossing is the second full-length studio album by American rhythm and blues group Menahan Street Band. It has received positive reviews from critics.

Reception

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According to the review aggregator Metacritic, The Crossing received "generally favorable reviews" based on a weighted average score of 79 out of 100 from 10 critic scores.[3] Editors at AllMusic rated this album 4 out of 5 stars, with critic Fred Thomas writing that this album "expands somewhat on the band's debut, with the group plucking inspiration from a wide spectrum of soul and funk subcategories" and the band "cultivates a rich collection of emotionally complex instrumental soul, with precise musicianship meeting inspired production and a deeply studied obsession with the often sampled and less often acknowledged obscure geniuses of soul music".[1] Len Comaratta of Consequence of Sound scored this album a B, noting the band's non-soul influences and states that a "slightly haunting, lower-timbre" runs through most of the album.[4] In The Irish Times, Jim Carroll gave The Crossing 4 out of 5 stars, characterizing the music: "these tight, moody, sumptuous instrumentals are widescreen, cinematic pace-setters, with detailed, punchy, textured playing that draws you in and allows the drama to unfold".[5] Elias Leight of PopMatters gave this release an 8 out of 10, stating that this work "once again shows their talent at creating tight instrumental funk" with music "buoyed by firm backbeats and highly synchronized horn section".[2]

Track listing

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All songs written by Menahan Street Band.

  1. "The Crossing" – 5:04
  2. "Lights Out" – 2:35
  3. "Keep Coming Back" – 3:16
  4. "Three Faces" – 4:34
  5. "Sleight of Hand" – 3:00
  6. "Everyday a Dream" – 3:51
  7. "Seven Is the Wind" – 5:06
  8. "Bullet for the Bagman" – 2:57
  9. "Driftwood" – 3:39
  10. "Ivory and Blue" – 3:36
  11. "Ivory and Blue (reprise)" – 1:05

Personnel

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Menahan Street Band

Additional personnel

  • Victor Axelrod – organ
  • The Bushwick Philharmonic – philharmonic orchestra on "Lights Out"
    • Antoine Silverman – violin
    • Entcho Todorov – violin
    • Anja Wood – viola
  • John Carbonella – package design
  • Bobby Chupete – congas on "Ivory and Blue"
  • Cochemea Gastelum – flute on "Sleight of Hand"
  • JJ Golden – mastering
  • Gabriel Roth – executive production, mixing
  • Sugarman – executive production
  • Jared Tankel – baritone saxophone on "Sleight of Hand"

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b c Thomas, Fred (n.d.). "Menahan Street Band – The Crossing". AllMusic. RhythmOne. Retrieved September 17, 2023.
  2. ^ a b Leight, Elias (October 28, 2012). "The Menahan Street Band: The Crossing". Reviews. PopMatters. Retrieved September 17, 2023.
  3. ^ "The Crossing by Menaham Street Band Reviews and Tracks – Metacritic". Metacritic. Fandom, Inc. n.d. Retrieved September 17, 2023.
  4. ^ Comaratta, Len (October 12, 2012). "Menahan Street Band – The Crossing". Reviews > Album Reviews. Consequence of Sound. Retrieved September 17, 2023.
  5. ^ Carroll, Jim (December 21, 2012). "Menahan Street Band". Music. The Irish Times. ISSN 0791-5144. Retrieved September 17, 2023.
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