Ralph Kiefer is a composer, multi-faceted instrumentalist and producer from the South of Germany. He enjoys a highly respected profile in jazz as well as the crossover scene between funk and electronic, having worked with artists like Poets Of Rhythm and Hipnosis.

With THE SOUL SESSION, Kiefer sets out his vision with the debut album “ONE”. “Struggles And Blessings” is the apt opener. Bajka, who has been busy with Bonobo, Dalindeo and Radio Citizen features her unmistakable vocal style. “Root Down” has a heavy heavy groove with a hypnotic brass section and features Kay Fischer on vocals. De-Phazz vocalist Karl Frierson then dives soul deep into the modern fusion of “Soul Desire”, which builds a bridge from the spirituality of the Seventies to the urgency of the present.

“The S.O.S. Suite”, a mighty 17 minutes long, is a serious trip into space featuring Dudley Perkins aka Declaime (Lootpack, Tha Alkaholiks and Madlib), who drops his rhymes to the main theme and boards the funky mothership, before Kiefer catapults it into an enthralling Drum’n Bass excursion.

We take a deep breath while “YeahYeahYeah” puts us back into deep relaxation. Anaj, a highly respected Berlin artist, is introduced as vocalist on “Woman & Man”, while Karl Frierson returns for “Underneath” respectively. Here we see THE SOUL SESSION at their best: Beautifully crafted compositions, a tight rhythm section and cleverly worked out arrangements. “Hamjam” proves this point in full effect: Ralph Kiefer’s grooves are deeply rooted in the best of hang loose Seventies fusion, the precise machinery of Eighties funk and the crossover vibes of the Nineties.

Then, of course, there is “Light My Fire” with Ralph providing vocals to this freewheeling classic from The Doors. Clocking in at around 11 minutes “Horse With No Name Suite”, a bona fide three minute Seventies pop tune is turned into an up-to-date Jazz suite. The album closes with “Out Of The Rain”. THE SOUL SESSION is full of pleasant surprises: a profound sense of history, respect and deep understanding of jazz, soul, funk and electronic music, connected with a high-profile musicianship and amazing song writing skills.