Catpack - Catpack (Album)
Photo Credit: Lauren Desberg
‘Catpack’ [Out Friday 21st June], from Los Angeles trio Amber Navran (of Moonchild), Jacob Mann and Phil Beaudreau, is the cat’s meow! The quirky, light-hearted project features 10 tracks, including previously released singles “What I've Found”, “Walk Away”, “Midnight” and “The Top”.
The genuine camaraderie and mutual admiration shared among the three creatives is palpable in its organic, joyful exploration of musical expression. Amber adds “to me it’s three people with distinct sounds who love and admire each other, coming together to make something new”. The result is an authentic convergence of their artistry, drawing on their influences to harness a jazz-influenced R&B sound, with neo-soul, funky and electronic motifs. The whimsical namesake is taken from a synth patch resembling cats meowing that they discovered in the studio and an ingenious merch idea that followed (search Google for catpacks).
The focus track, “Next To Me”, is an amusing jest about the extremes of an all-consuming devotion to someone, urging a partner to "take vitamin C and wear their sunscreen in the quest for an enduring love. The humour is carried through in the meowing synth, layered over Amber and Phil’s buttery harmonies.
Amber Navran is an LA-based musician who sings, plays flute and produces in Catpack, and is 1/3 of the renowned neo-soul trio Moonchild. As a member of Moonchild, Navran has released five albums and received a GRAMMY nomination for Best Progressive R&B Album in 2023. The group has performed at major festivals worldwide, including Roots Picnic, Love Supreme, Cape Town Jazz Fest, Corona Sunsets Okinawa and Jakarta Jazz, and has sold out over 300 shows in 35 countries.
Navran is recognized for her distinctive, multilayered voice and her production and performance acumen, which she brings to Catpack. She has collaborated, produced and toured with esteemed artists such asKamasi Washington, Stevie Wonder, The Internet, Jill Scott, Lalah Hathaway and Robert Glasper, and built up a host of iconic supporters along the way. As a solo artist and producer, she has two projects out and collaborates frequently with Rapsody, 9th Wonder, R+R=NOW, Mumu Fresh, Knower, Louis Cole, Jacob Mann Big Band, Chris Dave, Daniel Crawford, Raquel Rodriguez and more.
Jacob Mann is the keyboardist, clarinet player and producer in Catpack, with solo recordings under his own name and big band albums with the Jacob Mann Big Band (which also features Amber as a member). Jacob has released collaborative albums with jazz-funk bands such as Max Ox, and Shrek Is Love and a duo album with bassist Sam Wilkes.
Phil Beaudreau plays trumpet, sings and produces in Catpack. Dr. Dre, Justin Bieber, Lalah Hathaway, The Game, and Travis Barker are just a few of the names the Los Angeles producer, writer and recording artist has worked with over the last several years. After garnering major label attention with his debut album, ‘Ether’, Beaudreau signed to Def Jam Universal as part of his duo group AOE. In 2020, Beaudreau received GRAMMY nominations for his work as executive producer on Black Violin's newest album, ‘Take the Stairs’, and as producer on Justin Bieber's latest studio album, ‘Changes’. In September of 2019, his song “Dreams” (co-written with fellow Peer Publishing artist Andrew Simple) was featured in Dreamworks' animated film, Abominable.
Phil emotionally summarises the wholesomeness of the project: “I don’t know if I’ve ever felt more like myself than when I’m making music with Amber and Jacob…. It’s an amazing feeling to work with people whose art you’re in awe of, but it’s something deeper when there’s space for friendship. That chemistry is a gift, and it makes the work so easy to do.”