 |
||
|
James Brown/ James Brown's Funky People
|
MUSTHEAR REVIEW: |
|||||||||||||||
| James Brown invented Funk with a capital F, and remains the unchallenged Godfather, the Funky President, Soul Brother #1. The world moves to the beat of a different drummer since he has busted his infamous moves across the planet's surface. The JB cannon represents a vast catalogue of recordings—the mother lode of beats— a righteously funky legacy of grooves for us to soak in, sample, and quote. James Brown's Funky People compiles some of the best side-project recordings he made with his band, the JBs, during their early '70s reign. It was a time when the funk was still young, before disco beats and over zealous producers conspired to gum up the Sex Machine with too much cheese and not enough soul. All tracks were originally recorded on James Brown's own People Records label in the early '70s. Technically speaking, this is not an actual James Brown album, in so far as he is not the featured vocalist on any of the tracks. Nonetheless, he does just about everything else here—playing organ, singing back-up, writing, arranging, and producing—so that this disc has that unmistakable JB vibe through and through. On "Hot Pants Road," JB busts out with some sizzling organ leads, showcasing his lesser known prowess on the keys, particularly on the funky dedication "Givin' Up Food For Funk (Part 1)." His organ grinds out a driving rhythm behind Lyn Collins (a member of the Bootsy Collins clan) on "Think," a tune that not only broke the top-ten back in 1972, but also yielded the defining sample for the late '80s hip-hop hit, "It Takes Two." Lyn Collins demonstrates that she was as formidable a soul-sister as any with the hard thumping sex romp of "Rock Me Again & Again & Again & Again & Again & Again," an unabashedly explicit tune that will leave you wanting it again & again (with Ms. Collins) all night long. With such inspiring grooves as "If You Don't Get It The First Time, Back Up And Try It Again, Party," this record has the power to cure any ass-inertia, helping you to lift your spirits and get back on the good foot. Needless to say, this is THE quintessential party album, exceeding the outer most limits of positive uplift and fueling the festive vibe with such show-stoppers as "Parrty (Part I)," a tune so nasty that it rates the second "R" in its title. On "Damn Right, I am Somebody (Parts 1 & 2)," James Brown & Co. state the obvious, leaving you smoldering in a major funk-overkill. Throughout the record, the JBs sizzle, laying down timeless grooves with some main ingredients: heavy but nimble funk bass, "Hot Pants" chink-a-chink rhythm guitar, a tight and punchy horn section (ALA Count Basie), and growling Hammond B-3 organ riffs, all layered hypnotically in a blissful repetition of rhythm and theme the JBs signature groove. This music is soooo damn good that you'll be thanking God (and the Godfather) that there is a second volume to this compilation. As the opening track insists, "Gimme Some More." ---John Ballon (email)
Tracks: | |||||||||||||||
| Return to home page... all reviews, photographs, and video © copyright 1999 - 2002 MustHear.com |
