Wild Belle's 2013 debut album, Isles, features the band's catchy, laid-back mix of indie pop, reggae, and singer/songwriter soul.
Centered around the brother and sister duo of Elliot and Natalie Bergman, the Chicago-based Wild Belle often utilize Elliot's funk and reggae leanings as the leader of the Afro-pop ensemble NOMO (with whom Natalie has also toured).
However, with songs largely based around Natalie's love of soul and melodic '60s pop, Wild Belle have a less frenetic, if still hypnotically languid take on NOMO's world fusion sound.
In that sense, Isles has a kind of sultry, post-Amy Winehouse retro-soul aesthetic that's lightened by the sibling's own positive-minded, dance club hippie vibe.
Tracks like the languid "Keep You" and the buoyant "Shine" largely work to showcase Natalie's cherubic croon by surrounding it with fuzzy synths, echoey percussion, and Elliot's own rootsy saxophone lines.
Elsewhere, cuts like the shimmery, hip-swaying “Twisted” and the old-school reggae-sounding “June” help make Isles the perfect summer afternoon album, designed for doing nothing in particular besides soaking up the good vibes.
| Title/Composers | Performer | Listen | Time | Size | Size | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Keep YouElliot Bergman, Natalie Bergman | Wild Belle | Play | 03:30 | 8 MB | 23 MB |
| 2 | It's Too LateElliot Bergman, Natalie Bergman, Jackie Mittoo | Wild Belle | Play | 03:13 | 7 MB | 19 MB |
| 3 | ShineElliot Bergman, Natalie Bergman | Wild Belle | Play | 04:41 | 10 MB | 28 MB |
| 4 | TwistedElliot Bergman, Natalie Bergman | Wild Belle | Play | 03:05 | 7 MB | 20 MB |
| 5 | BacksliderElliot Bergman, Natalie Bergman | Wild Belle | Play | 03:23 | 7 MB | 17 MB |
| 6 | Happy HomeElliot Bergman, Natalie Bergman | Wild Belle | Play | 03:45 | 8 MB | 22 MB |
| 7 | Another GirlElliot Bergman, Natalie Bergman | Wild Belle | Play | 03:52 | 8 MB | 23 MB |
| 8 | Love Like ThisElliot Bergman, Natalie Bergman | Wild Belle | Play | 03:58 | 9 MB | 22 MB |
| 9 | When It's OverElliot Bergman, Natalie Bergman | Wild Belle | Play | 03:33 | 8 MB | 22 MB |
| 10 | JuneElliot Bergman, Natalie Bergman | Wild Belle | Play | 04:03 | 9 MB | 24 MB |
| 11 | Take Me AwayElliot Bergman, Natalie Bergman | Wild Belle | Play | 02:54 | 6 MB | 17 MB |
| 40 mins | 91 MB | |||||
| 40 mins | 241 MB | |||||
| Artist | Job | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Elliot Bergman | Arranger, Casio, Chamberlin, Clavinet, Composer, Congas, Electric Kalimba, Fender Rhodes, Handclapping, Horn Arrangements, Memory Moog, Mini Moog, Mixing, Organ (Hammond), Percussion, Producer, Prophet 5, Sax (Baritone), Sax (Tenor), Shaker, Vocals |
| 2 | Natalie Bergman | Autoharp, Casio, Chamberlin, Chimes, Composer, Fender Rhodes, Guitar, Mini Moog, Mixing, Piano, Toy Piano, Vocals, Whistle, Wurlitzer |
| 3 | Susan Bergman | Artwork |
| 4 | Greg Calbi | Mastering |
| 5 | Lazar Davis | Arranger |
| 6 | Erik Hall | Bass, Drums, Engineer, Guitar, Handclapping, Mini Moog, Mixing, Percussion, Vocals |
| 7 | Kellen Harrison | Bass |
| 8 | Quin Kirchner | Congas, Drums |
| 9 | Jackie Mittoo | Composer |
| 10 | Jessica Ruffins | Engineer, Mixing |
| 11 | Sheila Sachs | Design |
| 12 | Bill Skibbe | Engineer, Mixing, Producer |
| 13 | Smoota | Horn Arrangements |
| 14 | Jennifer Tzar | Photography |
| 15 | Justin Walter | Evi |
| 16 | Wild Belle | Primary Artist |
| Quality | Format | Encoding | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| Standard | MP3 | 320kps 44.1kHz | MP3 is an audio coding format which uses a form of lossy data compression. The highest bitrate of this format is 320kbps (kbit/s). MP3 Digital audio takes less amount of space (up to 90% reduction in size) and the quality is not as good as the original one. |