001 The Shadows - Scotch On The Socks
002 Percee P - No Time For Jokes
003 Eric Lindell - Mind YOur Business
004 The Studio Sound - Give Me Some More
005 Al Green - You’ve Got The Love I Need
006 Hypnotic Brass Band - Tark
007 Kutiman - Trumpet Woman
008 Zeep - Keep An Eye On Love
009 Outlines - Now That I’m Free
010 The Explosions - Garden Of Four Trees
011 Tony Allen - Every Season
012 Muddy Waters - I Just Wanna Make Love To You
013 The Bongolian - The Champion
014 Trombone Shorty - Frontin’
015 Belleruche - Reflection
016 Baby Charles - I Bet You Look Good On The Dance Floor
017 The Happy Dog - Dead Eye Dick
018 Jose James - Park Bench People
Oh snap, Saturday was the REAL first day of spring ’round these parts. Flawless weather that had me thinking about kicking out some of the FUNK I got sittin’ ’round this here trunk. What follows is a special ‘house of royale’ - a pure springtime THROWDOWN of some of that HEAVY shit copped from ALL corners of these wonderful interwebs.
A couple of notes on some of these tracks.
- The Shadows ‘Scotch On The Socks’ is some of the rawest rock/funk these ears have ever heard. Listening to this it’s almost impossible to believe this was recorded in 1966!
- Eric Lindell’s new album ‘Low on Cash, Rich in Love’ is sweet. Not sure I would put him in that ‘blue eyed soul’ category that the press tries to corner him in. This album is solid from the get and a little more raw and roots-y than his contemporaries.
- Had no idea that Al Green is going to release an album at the end of May produced by Questlove. Here’s a track from the forthcoming release ‘Lay It Down’. Very promising stuff.
- Hypnotic Brass Band have the structure of a typical New Orleans Brass Band but with a definitive northern sensibility. They are playing what is shaping up to be one of THE shows to see this year when Damon Albarn rolls through Avery Fisher with an incredible lineup for a one off show in July.
- Kutiman’s track on this mix is NOT a respectable example of this Israeli’s rich FUNK sound from his new album. This album has all sorts of different twists on the basic funk thing and different than the typical ‘old-is-new’ deep funk bands that are popping up all over the place these days.
- Really dig this track from Zeep. Folky, bluesy, funky and just the right mix. Breezy vocals. You might think it’s cheesey, but I can’t stop listening to this.
- The Explosions’s ‘Garden of Four Trees’. I’ve listened to every damn funk comp you can imagine. But Soul Jazz Records has the DEFINITVE New Orleans funk comp. Sure, you’ve heard some of these tracks already, but I guarentee you that you haven’t heard more than half of these and ALL these tracks are on par with anything The Meters did. This is one of the few MUST HAVE funk comps out there.
- The Bongolians new effort ‘Outer Bongolia’ is just a tad too synth-y for my tastes but this track ‘The Champion’ is a nice update of the classic Apache sound to me.
- The Happy Dog track doesn’t really fit on this mix, it’s just too good though to leave off. It’s almost funk. Snatched this from the what freeleach and have been listening to it for the last week nonstop. A fresh knock-off of the jamband sound?
- Dig the Freddie Hubbard cop from Jose James’ ‘Park Bench People’. Food for thought to shut this volume down.
