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For their landmark tenth studio album, The New Mastersounds trace the New Orleans side of their funky family tree back to their roots. Made for Pleasure, due out October 2, 2015 from revered independent label, Royal Potato Family, was recorded at The Living Room, a converted wood-frame church directly across the Mississippi River from downtown New Orleans. The British foursomes latest collection of infectious grooves is steeped in those storied waters and the rich musical history theyve carried. For the occasion, The New Mastersounds guitarist Eddie Roberts, drummer Simon Allen, bassist Pete Shand, and keyboardist Joe Tatton invited several guests to join them in the studio. Longtime compatriot Mike Dillon recorded with the band for the first time, while former American Idol semi-finalist and Native American activist Charly Lowry leant her powerfully soulful vocals to three tracks. Tenor saxophonist Joe Cohen and trumpeter Mike Olmos, both members of Roberts Stateside band, the West Coast Sounds, also joined the sessions. A late addition was Denver-based reggae singer Spellbinder, who added his distinctive vocals to an unexpected cover of Iggy Azaleas hit Fancy. The title Made for Pleasure which is taken from the organ-driven, Meters-influenced opening track captures both the bands guiding mantra and the raucously seedy underbelly of the Big Easy. Thats very much the ethos of the band, Roberts explains. We make music for our own pleasure and for other peoples pleasure. Its about sharing energy with an audience, whether it be live or listening at home. That energy was in flux when the band reunited in the studio for a week last January. Roberts, usually the Mastersounds chief songwriter and musical director, found himself suffering an unusual bout of writers block. Far from resulting in a less-inspired album, however, the affliction led to the rest of the band contributing ideas and developing them live in the studio, leading to their most collaborative effort to date.
