Dinner At The Thompson’s – Off The Grid

Dinner at the Thompson’s – Off the Grid
Earth At Work: 2011

Dinner at the Thompson’s is no ordinary pairing. Cali-based singer Lucille Tee saw French DJ/producer/multi-instrumentalist Fablive in concert, loved what she heard, went on stage to sing a few, and the rest is…well, you know. Now based out of France, Dinner at the Thompson’s have been recording and touring together for six years. Back with their sophomore effort, Off the Grid is a genre-hopping blend of jazzy hip-hop meets R&B infused funk (a few other genres, too) that will have anyone with a soul moving to the rhythm for the better part of the hour long album.

From the Dilla-esque sampling of “Rise Up” to the nostalgia drenched funk of “Different Beings” Fablive effortlessly molds a diverse and cohesive backdrop for Tee’s vocals to shine. Tee proves herself as versatile a singer as Fablive is a producer. One minute it’s the bouncing funk in “It All Began”, the next it’s the smooth crooning of “I Can Do Anything”. One of few guests on the album is Stones-Throw rapper Guilty Simpson to bring the heavy hip-hop swagger on album highlight “Rice ‘n’ Beans”.

Off the Grid is not a revolution of sound. It is, however, an exquisitely crafted combination of past and present from Fablive brought together effortlessly by Tee’s fine vocals.

This album was my first encounter with Dinner at the Thompson’s, and with no expectations on what to hear, I was damn near blown-away. Had I not been assigned this album, chances are this album would have flown under my radar. Whatever you do, don’t sleep.

4 out of 5