For anybody who enjoys the vibrant sound of musical days gone by, before everything was programmed, processed and auto-tuned, then Luis Duboc’s aka The Secret Handshake’s fourth album Night and Day will be a breath of fresh unpolluted air. Recorded on the same analog tape machine used by Motown Records, with only live musicians on real instruments, the album sounds like the greatest Motown record you’ve never heard.
Duboc wrote all the lyrics and musical parts, incorporating horns, piano, percussion, and background singers (including a children’s choir on the single “Domino”) into one joyous party of soul recorded live in a studio. The love and care Duboc spent on crafting this album comes through in his vocals that are infectiously happy, even when singing “I don’t love you anymore” on the track “You Used to be Sweet.” “You Used to be Sweet” is a duet featuring the singer Lights, who has some Motown chops of her own.
Night and Day is all at once a tribute to the great Motown and blues/soul groups of the 60’s and 70’s and a declaration that their style of music can still be enjoyed in today’s world. The Temptations, The Jackson 5, even The Righteous Brothers influence can all be heard on this great throwback album. Any Motown fan or anybody who just wants to hear some soulful happy new music should pick this album up. Night and Day is available on iTunes and select Best Buys and Hot Topics, if only it were available on vinyl.