Upon driving, I passed by this antique store in my small town. Truth be told, I stopped because of a bike I seen out front. I thought it looked cool and wanted to check it out. As I approached it, I became disappointed. The quality of it was not the best. An expectation torn to pieces. Though, the store itself had more to offer inside. I had time to kill since my family was not ready for the day, so I browsed around. There were many vinyls that I spotted and came upon. Some classics which included, “The Gap Band”, “Jermaine Jackson”, “Ike & Tina Turner”, and more. Although…these were rare, as there were not many R&B/Soul records in sight. Of course to my current knowledge. But through surfing for the hits that I did know of, I expanded my horizon to a different sound. That of “Cafe Jacques: International“. The album cover drew me in for its abstraction. The reference to Michelangelo’s “The Creation of God” purely depicts the struggle of bearing space between entities and humanity. Which can be depicted in the expression of the man. The bananas…I have no idea. It be the fruit of ones labor? Or how long the man has until he is dried out, spoiled, and rotten?

I was excited to pick up a new record! Especially one of the 70’s, in good condition, and for a few bucks. The songs on the album speaks for the name itself, “International”. 10 tracks which all range from jazzy speakeasies, to slow and mellow tunes, and even early funk. A melting pot of various instruments blending different genres as we do with culture. Globally. All for which I am glad to experience. “The Boulevard of Broken Dreams” and “Man In The Meadow” are my favorites so far from this. Given that I’ve listened to this about three times. Expect to see me working in the studio with this playing in the background captivating the room.