The Crossing
A photo of a man walking across a snowy field
Studio album by
Menahan Street Band
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

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

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

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

References

  1. 1 2 3 Thomas, Fred (n.d.). "Menahan Steet Band – The Crossing". AllMusic. RhythmOne. Retrieved September 17, 2023.
  2. 1 2 Leight, Elias (October 28, 2012). "The Menahan Steet 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 Steet Band – The Crossing". Reviews > Album Reviews. Consequence of Sound. Retrieved September 17, 2023.
  5. ↑ Carroll, Jim (December 21, 2012). "Menahan Steet Band". Music. The Irish Times. ISSN 0791-5144. Retrieved September 17, 2023.
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