Seek

by John BushOnly the third Beanfield full-length to appear during the decade after the group's debut, Seek finds only Jan Krause remaining from the former trio (although he's obviously kept in close contact with Michael Reinboth, head of the Compost label that made this release possible). While comparisons with the four-years-gone Human Patterns may be dangerous, the lush organics of previous Beanfield material have been fused by Krause (and his new partner, Michael Mettke) with much more R&B songcraft and dance than previously; the opener, "Chosen," is a piece of precise, balletic soul with the off-kilter beats to mark it as a Compost product and a sublime production driven by strings and accordion. Another vocal track, "Someone Like You," illustrates Krause's skill with a chugging house track. Still, the instrumentals (and a few vocals) weigh this record down. It's during the laborious acid jazz workout "Mr. Park" that Beanfield sounds most like a distant second to Compost veterans Jazzanova in the nu-soul marathon.