Scott Paddock Electric Band: From Within

The Scott Paddock Electric Band, a rollicking quintet, covers a lot of musical territory with tight-cornered, spirited style on From Within (C Scott; 54:38). Saxophonist Paddock leads the band through a clinic of live, overdub-free interpretations, running the gamut from originals like the tribal-funk fusion “Bumper Dance” to a frisky, jazzy change-up read of the usually solemn Sting piece “It’s Probably Me.” Tight timing blossoms with excellent musicianship as the band tackles knuckleball R&B on bassist Gerard Moore’s “295” and brushed, smoky-club mystery for a memorable interpretation of the classic “Summertime.” Well-placed accents, like Kajun Kelley’s expert guitar twists on the romantic Latin dance “From Within” and Jamie Thomas’ purring organ on “I’ll Call You,” add just the right spice. Paddock himself proves a versatile, strong leading voice, whether he’s speeding and spiraling like the old-time funksters (“Busy Back Soon”), laying down muscular licks (“295”) or gently snaking and weaving through percussion (“From Within”).

Originally Published January 1, 2002