Skinny Hightower - Groove Factor | A Groovy Return

It’s been 3 years since Wichita, KS native Skinny Hightower released Blue Moon and he’s back and better than ever. “Groove Factor” is the lead single from his upcoming album “Mind Over Matter” and if it's any indication we're in for a treat. In our recent interview with Hightower he states that he has really went back to the drawing board to level up his skills with this album, let’s see if that’s the case.

The Intro ​

Groove Factor begins with an 8 measure introduction where a bass, drum set, and additional percussion lay down the groove while a trumpet plays some introductory notes. It is simple and straight-forward and helps set the tone for the rest to come.

The Verses​

At 0:21 Skinny glides in gracefully with his keys and lays down some elegant notes. What really shines about his playing during the Verses is how good he flows over the backing track. He pauses at the right moments, hits 8ths, 16ths, etc at the right times, and truly shows finesse while playing. Skinny says that this is the first album he has actually taken piano seriously on which is very hard to believe.

The Hook​

Groove Factor’s hook is bright and extravagant which is partly due to the brass that plays in unison with Skinny. It's treble-rich [the brass] and features what seems to be a muted trumpet and possible smidget of reverb to make it pop within the mix..

At measure 5 the band starts to slide from high note to low which gives the hook a very awesome and refreshing sound. Risks like this are rarely taken on run of the mill Smooth Jazz on the radio.

The Breakdown​

At 2:46 the song breaks down to a solo space that starts with the trumpet playing some silky smooth notes. The tone sounds as if the trumpet is in a large room with some distance between player and the mic. It gives the trumpet a cool omnipresent sound in headphones.

At 3:08 Skinny comes in with keys that demonstrate the leveling up he talks about. At many points it sounds like two different tracks layered ontop of each other but Skinny has made it clear that he is playing all of it simultaneously.

Parting Thoughts ​

Groove Factor is a great return after a 3 year hiatus. It’s fun, groovy, and provides a lot of variety for listeners. The vibrant hook and the groovy rhythm section make for an exciting record that makes us amped for the release of Mind Over Matter.

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