Newcastle’s finest duo since Andy Cole and Peter Beardsley are back once again for the third time with Broken Toys, another vinyl adventure that is sure to please. Riding high off the success from their two previous efforts, Antique Soul and Eccentric Audio, they bring their high energy music to the masses on this release. While the boys are known for their Funk, Soul, and Jazz, Broken Toys flirts mercilessly like a school girl enamored with her favorite sitcom star and pushes Pop and Disco rhythms that fill up the dance floor. “Will You Be Mine” is a high energy Peter Gabriel sounding side with more sledgehammer Soul than he could have ever brought to Genesis. “Play To Win” has radio written all over it, while “People Keep Talking” is a slower Sly influenced burner that is a head nodder indeed. You get that Disco we talked about in “I Just Want More” and “One Woman Army”, while they return to their funky, jazzy roots on the title track “Broken Toys”. These two even throw in some soundtrack sounding stuff on “Coming Home”. An Edwin Starr sounding side, S & T keep it real with this variety of styles, especially on this track. The duo (plus their seven piece bad) are comfortable on the road, as they have played Dubai, Moscow and many places in between to promote their special brand of music. They will no doubt be tearing up stages in promotion of Broken Toys, so get out to see them live if they are at a venue near you. If you’re not familiar with S & T, give them a try. Their sound has evolved over these last three records, and while they are not afraid to show their funky roots, they are mature enough to pull off other genres as well. These guys prove that even if it ain’t broke, don’t try to fix it, just evolve in bigger and better ways. Championed by Gilles Peterson and radio world wide, don’t be surprised when you hear more and more of them. We’ve loved these guys for quite some time, and are excited at what they are bringing to the table in 2014. Dig it!

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