Album review
Sticky Wicked - Nightfall
ZenneZ Records
℗ © 2024
By: Robin Boer
Sticky Wicked’s compositions are a vibrant blend of originality and modernity, drawing inspiration from decades of jazz, rock, funk, and electronic music. The band members, top-tier musicians from the Dutch session scene, have collaborated with numerous renowned Dutch and international pop and jazz artists. Influences from legends like Herbie Hancock, Weather Report, John Scofield, and Jeff Lorber are evident in their dynamic sound.
Holding the fresh-looking digipak in our hands, we see a suggestive, blurred photo of a city at dusk. The cover art perfectly matches the music within.
The album opens with beautiful bass harmonics and warm, atmospheric synth chords, evoking the fusion albums of the late ’80s and early ’90s, but with the production capabilities of today. The bass guitar plays a prominent role in the band’s sound, which isn’t surprising given that bassist Peter van Breukelen, taking care of many synth and guitar parts on the side, is also the band’s musical mastermind. His parts are playful and rhythmically precise. Both the saxophone themes and lyrical solos immediately captivate the listener, a task Peter Lieberom handles with ease.
The mid-tempo track “Shifter” features wonderfully robust rock guitar work by Guy Nikkels. The guitar often plays a supporting role in the arrangement, adding an important color to the band’s sound. The drums, played by Remco van der Sluis, are somewhat soft and thin in the overall mix but are nonetheless tight and richly arranged, occasionally in combination with Martin Verdonk’s percussion. All details and accents are clearly chosen with great care, as showcased in “Valencia,” where Lieberom and Nikkels deliver spectacular solos once again.
Keyboardist Steven Hupkens shows his prowess particularly in the funky track “Hickup,” where a rich palette of pads, arpeggiators, and leads can be heard beneath the catchy theme, followed by a dazzling solo. The standout tracks are “The Bee” and “Humbugger.” The band reaches great heights here, demonstrating that they have nothing to prove. Matthijs Geerts delivers a beautiful synthesizer solo on “Humbugger.”
One of the band’s notable achievements on this album is representing all musicians almost equally on each track while offering a rich palette of sound colors. However, due to production choices, the overall sound can sometimes feel a bit sterile. This works surprisingly well on the strong and atmospheric closer, which is also the title track.
The compositions are structured so that no seconds are wasted on meandering or thoughtless noodling. As a result, the tracks are relatively compact, and the album is over in just under half an hour. No filler, only killer. Does it leave you wanting more? Yes!
The album presentation of “Nightfall” will take place on Sunday, March 9th, at Grounds Rotterdam. More info: Grounds Events
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