The Soul Snatchers
Sniffin' And Snatchin'
Social Beats, 2007

There must be something going on over in Holland. First they bring us the heavy instrumental combo, Lefties Soul Connection - and now the Soul Snatchers. I don't know much about this group, except for the fact that I love this album - it has a really positive good vibe to it and it's mostly upbeat funky numbers you get here.

From the get-go, the album starts with "Approaching Target" which instantly sets the mood, a funky dancefloor number with punchy horns, wah-wah guitar and a rolling Hammond groove. A strong start. All the instrumental tracks on this album are very solid in this fashion, my favourites here being "Crushed Ice", a definite dance floor mover, and "Granny's Groove", funky enough to get your Granny up and out of her chair.

Seven of the twelve tracks feature vocalists in rotation, Curtis T., YoYo and Jimi Bell Martin and this is what really keeps this album fresh. It feels like listening to a revue show with a variety of styles complimenting each other as it moves from instrumental, to male, to female vocal.

Jimi Martin Bell brings a rough and tough voice to the excellent tracks "I Can't Stand It" and "People People". Yo Yo steps in with a cover version, "Who Told You", originally recorded by Jackie Moore, a bit cleaner than the original but still a good version. She also has the only ballad number "Ask For Love", which actually provides a welcome break to the action and manages to sound reminiscent of a Vicki Anderson tear jerker. Her third contribution, "One Monkey" is a Jacueline Jones cover, also adequate. Curtis T.'s "Off The Hook" is perhaps the album's weakest track sounding a little naff - but he more than makes amends for this with the outstanding "Good Foot Down" which will be getting a fair few plays at Funkalicious.

The title track appearing last suggested to me on first listen that this was going to be a great listen throughout and I was pleased to find this was the case. "Sniffin' & Snatchin'" closes the set in the same way it started with distinctive, punchy horns, which kind of makes you want to listen to the whole thing again. Can't be a bad thing.

www.socialbeats.com/

Sharon Jones & the Dap Kings
100 Days, 100 Nights
Daptone, 2005

Sharon Jones & the Dap Kings are top of the pile - the standard of writing, playing, singing and production has earned them their place as the spearheads of today's funk/soul revivalist movement. Their live performances are only rivaled by vintage footage of their influences, their growing portfolio of session work includes extensive contributions to recent albums by Amy Winehouse and Mark Ronson. These days, the band seem to be constantly immersed in extensive touring, only surfacing briefly to gasp for air before ducking back under again. An album comes only when they can manage a tightly scheduled stop, making releases a hotly anticipated event amongst fans. As a DJ, I'm always in search of turbo charged dance floor smashes which will get people moving and was more than satisfied by their single, I'm Not Gonna Cry they released in April '07 - a slice of uncompromisingly hard funk.

I have to admit, then, when I first listened to 100 Days, 100 Nights, I was waiting to hear a dance floor groove that would knock me off my feet. I didn't exactly find what I was hoping for, although what is on the record is unquestionably without fault. From the start, the album is well a executed slice of real, spine tingling soul beyond the quality we have come to expect from them. Jones' vocals soar on a finer form than ever before and the band percolate a comfortable groove that seems to seek the emphasis on Jones. Band leader, Bosco Mann has written a set of songs of such quality that they almost all seem like cover versions, it really feels like you are listening to a classic album. For example, Let Them Knock is one of the best vocal performances I've heard from Jones, who despite her small physical stature, is standing tall next to her contemporaries. This lady can sing, can really sing. A very welcome addition of strings on Something's Changed adds a further dimension whilst Humble Me strides confidently into Otis Redding territory with it's Mar-Keys styled horn arrangements - not many could pull this sound off but they do. Funk comes in the form of the excellent Nobody's Baby and Keep On Looking - both ample slices, just not that as explosive as I know they can be.

Overall, the Dap Kings are way in front of their peers and Sharon Jones has earned her rightful place as Queen of funk. I dream they will one day make another straight funk album but somehow I doubt it. As long as they continue this quality, plus keep the funk laden 45s coming, who's complaining?

www.daptonerecords.com

James Brown
In The Jungle Groove
Polydor, 1986 compilation

A remarkable compilation from James Brown of unstoppable heavy funk classics and unreleased gems. Originally released in 1986 to capture the ears of the sampling generation, this compliation has now been nicely expanded making it even more essential than ever. Covering a period from late '69 to the early 70's, it is JB at the height of his considerable funk powers - suddenly the godfather grew from a diminutive 5'6" to seemingly become a kind of colossus funk godzilla, stamping his grooves over cities and leaving an indelible influence in his wake.

He was able to capitalise on the formation of a new band, the J.B.'s, consisting of both young and experienced musicians. For perhaps the first time in his career, JB took influence from the young members led by a 19 year old Bootsy Collins on bass and his brother, Phelps, on guitar. Their enthusiasm and excitement at having been picked to play in the band was clear and infectious. On the other side, the mature band members who had stuck with JB through thick and thin were now showing the benefit of experience - notably seasoned drummer Clyde Stubblefield who cut the Funky Drummer for JB in late '69, a track that is considered to be the most sampled piece of music in history. Indeed the mix of this old and new proved at times explosive as the re-edit of Give It Up Or Turnit A Loose proves with its break heavy interplay between Bootsy and Clyde - one of the best examples of funk out there. The re-edit simply takes out the crowd overdubs and tightens up the break, rather than mess with anything it shouldn't. Whilst Talkin Loud And Saying Nothing can be seen as a militant strike against Vietnam War era politicians, elsewhere the celebrations of I Got To Move, Hot Pants and Soul Power are enough to charge anyone's batteries. Add to this the previously unreleased and rhythmically stunning full version of Blind Man Can See It which leads me to wonder what else may be lying unreleased in the vaults. It is true that no one else had more releases than JB with a new single pretty much every week and an average of five or six album releases a year, some of the good stuff was going to get left behind.

These songs are an explosive and dynamic expression of the human condition in the inimitable style James Brown and only James Brown could have achieved. At times militant and revolutionary; whilst also celebratory, innovative and down right funky, funky, funky. This serves either as a fantastic introduction to James Brown or essential collection for any funk fan.

"Clap your hands and stomp your feet..."

The Funky Drummer - Wikipedia article

Osaka Monaurail
Reality for The People
P-Vine 2006

Who would have thought that one of the world's best funk bands would have ever come out of Japan? Well that's just my opinion but I think the proof is all here! Known to some as the "Japanese J.B.'s", this is their fifth album, or sixth as it is released simultaneously with another album: a collaboration with Marva Whitney entitled "I Am What I Am".

If you have ever heard Osaka Monaurail, you will know that these guys can really play. They play with an intense discipline, so tight they could hold water. Layer on the infectious grunt, call and response vocals of lead singer Ryo and you have a real groove going on here.

Straight away, the opening track "Quick Sand" let's you know you are in for some heavyweight funk, followed by the extremely infectious "(I'm Coming Back to) The Coming Back" which should get get your feet moving. Then we get a superb cover of an original J.B. Production, "Pick Up The Pieces One By One". By the fifth track we are into a serious funk workout "Opportunity". Then when the ultra-hip guitar line of "We Got One (A Show)" kicks in, you will by then hopefully agree that this is indeed one of the best funk albums around today.

any fan of funk music should be seriously checking this out.

www.osakamonaurail.com
Buy Osaka Monaurail at Juno Records

 

Dyke & The Blazers
We Got More Soul
BGP, 2007

The dazzling music of Arlester "Dyke" Christian and the Blazers has long been overlooked in the history books when standing next to JB and Otis, yet in retrospect it would seem Dyke could be just as surefooted as his contemporaries. It is they that are credited with the first use of the word "funky" on a black dance record, "Funky Broadway", a considerable hit for the band back in 1966. That tune was covered many times, most successfully by Wilson Pickett who had a no.1 R&B hit with it. It succeeded in getting the band noticed and they where soon signed to Original Sound, an indie label set up specifically to handle them. Offers from Jerry Wexler at Atlantic and Brunswick then had to be turned down!

The first disc of this set features the subsequent recordings made in Phoenix for the label. What we get is extremely uncompromising and raw funk by a strongly cohesive band driven by a visionary Dyke. It is a shame that the recordings on this first disk were recorded in mono at a time when most artists were by now recording in stereo but they are fascinating and important nonetheless.

It is the second disc though, recorded in Hollywood in stereo that really showcase the talents on offer. It has to be said the guys who put this compilation together have done a fantastic job of re-mastering the tracks from the original master tapes to a standard and depth never heard before, the result is electrifying. But they have done far more than that, this is not only a complete collection of everything Dyke And The Blazers did that was of any worth, they have where they can released the original full takes for the first time. If, for instance, you are familiar with Dyke's best known track "Let A Woman Be A Woman - Let A Man Be A Man", you will probably love it for its famous break of stabbing drums and Dyke's taught call and response, "Hey Fellas!". What you may not know is the record had to be edited to fit on a 45 and that some amazing parts of the break were sacrificed for time's sake. To hear it in full is a joy. There are also many fantastic tracks here that were never released, adding to an already golden prize.

This was that exiting moment in time when soul realised it was funk and the overlap created an exciting mix of emotion and celebration by seasoned musicians who made the music from blood, sweat and tears - and this collection is one of the finest examples of that moment.

www.acerecord.co.uk

 

Soul Toronados
The Complete Recordings
Jazzman Records 2005

Ok so when we are talking about the complete recordings of the Soul Toronados, we are actually only talking about the contents of three 45's recorded in one night in 1969 plus one live track chucked in as a bonus, only seven tracks in all- but what stunning tracks they are! It is true many great funk records were made by groups like this who may only ever have had a chance to record a few tracks in between working hard on the road. For some, success, money or the right deal just never came along.

The Soul Toronados owe their strange, misspelling due to a typing error on their most successful release. A mistake they would then have to live with if they were at all going to capitalise on this. That release, then the awesome "Hot Pants Breakdown" is a superb example of a track that launches straight in with a heavy, chugging groove from the get-go. Pounding rhythm and an unstoppable organ solo that really grabs you, try keeping your feet still to this.

Hang on to your wig again for "Go For Yourself" and "Crazy Legs", both of which are also of the same high standard, while "Boot's Groove", "Funky Thing" and "Bobby's Mood" groove along nicely and calm the proceedings down long enough for you to get your breath back. The only track I wasn't keen on is the live bonus track, a version of "Superbad" that was all there in heart but was only a very rough recording.

With a budget price, this compilation is a short but very strong bargain.

 

Sly & The Family Stone
Stand
Epic 1969

Sly Stone's vision of a multiracial, multi sex, group that blended musical styles as colourful as the clothes they wore was perfect for the end of the sixties. Coming from San Francisco, they were as influenced by the hippy aesthetic that was sweeping the West Coast as they were by the emerging funk scene. Taking on all influences from doo wop, blues, soul and rock, they came out with a fresh sound that, at the time, was uniquely their own.

Having won over a mixed crowd at the Woodstock festival, this their fourth album quickly hit the big time and it's not hard to see why, it almost plays like a greatest hits compilation.

The title track, which opens the album, sets the tone perfectly - it initially sounds like a standard soul record much like that of their contemporaries - until you realise it is a powerful message to stand up for what you believe. Then, just when you think it is going to end, the track explodes, shifts up a gear and gets you on your feet dancing.

Elsewhere this energy continues, "I Want To Take You Higher" is a high energy mood builder that somehow just keeps getting more intense, "Sing A Simple Song" is a hard-driving dance number and "You Can Make It If You Try" is designed to fill you with positive thoughts.

You'll also find some well approached social commentary here, most famously on "Everyday People" where hippy idealism works for a "soul" group. Then there is "Don't Call Me Nigger, Whitey", a simple but effective look at racism from both sides.

Throw in the 13+ minute swirling blues funk workout "Sex Machine" and you have a pretty amazing, fresh sound - essential for anyone's collection.

 

 

Otis Redding
Tell The Truth
Atco 1970

Otis Redding never really had a great vocal range, yet he more than made up for this by using his voice in a raw, impassioned, intense and sometimes warm way. He couldn't really dance either, yet his infectious foot stomping made him one of the greatest showmen of the late sixties. On record he covered quite a few different styles, all of which he handled with ease. So with so many good albums he made, choosing one that sums Otis up is impossible - especially as he covered so much different ground.

"Tell The Truth" was one of a handful of records released after Otis' death. A lot has been written about his change of direction as one of his last recordings was "Sitting On The Dock Of The Bay". People thought he would be writing mellow, reflective ballads - this album shows otherwise. "Dock Of The Bay" was merely one style he mastered. "Tell The Truth" consists of material Otis was yet to unleash on the World and is more about the up-beat foot stomping, raw soul that made him such a stage enigma.

The band behind Otis is none less than the legendary Booker T & The M.G.s, always providing the solid backbone that perfectly complements the power of the vocals, together they pretty much define soul.

This is real feel good soul, just like we like it at Funkalicious, from a man who was truly one of the greatest.