The New Mastersounds are a British four-piece jazz fusion and blues/funk band with members now based in Denver, Colorado, The UK and Spain. Over the last 20 years, they have issued 20 Albums and toured the world. Forged out of the golden age of the modern funk and soul revival out in 1999, the band has amassed a large discography, embarked on countless world tours, and drawn in a broad audience through both their original material and collaborations with esteemed vocalists and remixers. The group’s 20th album: The Deplar Effect captures the band on a high after a two-year hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic. It was released in September, 2022 via One Note Records, the bands own record label they set up in 2003.
The Deplar Effect excited fans new and old with classic, fiery Meters-inspired instrumental tracks such as “Watchu Want.” On every studio album to date, the band carries on a tradition of paying homage to The Meters with the first track of every album being bright and upbeat in the same spirit of the legendary New Orleans quartet. The album’s debut single Gonna Get in My Way was performed by vocalist Lamar Williams Jr. (son of the late Allman Brothers bassist, Lamar Williams) who joined the band in 2019. Between Williams’ vocals and the band’s tight instrumental work and crisp turnarounds, the album is a danceable, uptempo nod to 60s soul, especially on the tune Northern Lights, played often on Jazz24.
The Deplar Effect was another successful international release for one of the most notable bands in the modern funk & soul revival scene.