Down Beat (p.76) - 3.5 stars out of 5 -- "EMPHASIS extols the virtues of simplicity in all its swaggering glory, with a program of belt-busting soul-jazz..."
JazzTimes (p.103) - "Moore has some tricks up his sleeve....The group turns in some penetrating hard funk on 'Gander' that might have scared Booker T. & The MG's. All over, there are infectious riffs and grooves."
On EMPHASIS! (ON PARENTHESIS) drummer Stanton Moore returns with the trio that raised such a beautiful ruckus on 2006's III. Keyboardist Robert Walter and guitarist Will Bernard are still full of enough twists, turns, and improvisatory chops to keep up with Moore's New Orleans-flavored rhythms. Funk is a major ingredient, but Moore and Co. also draw on soul-jazz, rock, and even ambient electronica. The high skill level of each musician keeps things shifting and multi-dimensional, but the group rarely strays from a fierce allegiance to the groove.