Listening to LaBelle yesterday really got me into a funk/r&b/soul kind of mood, and when this album came under the suggestions during my listen to LaBelle yesterday, I figured I should give it a listen. I don’t know much about this group at all, it’s hard to even find stuff on google. That being said, the description for the band on Apple Music described the band’s sound as an obscure mixture of early 70s sounds, like “soul, funk, rock, psychedelia, and even some jazz and Latin music”. Seeing that description made me incredibly excited to give this album a listen, so I’ll jump right into it.
“Evolution” starts out with a really interesting almost afro-latin rhythm on percussion, and other instruments join in a bit later for a little funk jam. The horns really give a nice spice to the sound. The vocals are quite smooth, and definitely have a healthy blend of both funk and soul. Ooh wow, that guitar solo is super slick, and definitely have a heavy dose of psychedelia in them. I’m super intrigued at the moment. Wow, something strange just happened in the song and I’m struggling to even put words to what occurred. Wow, those keys are awesome. This song has turned into some sort of funk/soul/psychedelic jam piece. Oh wow, those vocals get guttural at times, really driving the jam forward.
“Your Mind” starts out with a slow bopping bass line, that that holds up the psychedelic soul jam that comes in with the rest of the instrumentation shortly after. I’m super stoked with this album right now – a lot of care went into this one. Oh wow, that jam that the band drops into is super tasty. And there’s clearly a large psychedelic overtone to the whole composition.
“Natural Juices” starts out with almost a bluesy guitar, and definitely a rock and roll feeling, though incredibly funky and psychedelic at the same time. Wow, the lyrics are quite colorful with psychedelia, and it’s just talking at this point as well – no singing. I really dig the rhythm section to this track; there’s a light touch to it, yet very driven. The horns are really sweet, and the organ really provides a nice backdrop the track as a whole. Wow, the organ solo just came on and the track is really smokin’. This track is awesome. That description on Apple Music was very accurate. Wow, that guitar solo is really sweet; it sounds like it’s passed through an envelope filter or something – the effect reminds me of “Fire On the Mountain” by the Grateful Dead. Wow, the drums are in almost a psychedelic shuffle groove at the moment. I’m super impressed by this album.
“It’s the Music That Makes Us Do It” has a really groovy funk feel to it. Honestly, I want to own this one on vinyl as well. Holy smokes that guitar solo is really slick with the speed. Looking on discogs right now, it’s selling for between about $50 and $3000 (<-not a typo). It was reissued on CD in 2000, and it looks like that might be more in my price range, but still, that's insane. Then again, this music is really groovy.
"Witch Doctor's Brew" has a really relaxed, psychedelic dream-like feel to it at the beginning. I really dig that psychedelic shuffle groove that the drums seem to get into. Wow, the saxophone is super relaxing. That, plus the really groovy keys in this song make for one heck of a composition. This one seems to be an instrumental, and a quite groovy one at that. The bass guitar really keeps the track rolling steady, while other instruments seem to take turns soloing over the track. The horns in this song, and the album as a whole, really give a great vibe to the whole thing, and add a certain spice to the whole thing.
Oh wow, "Funky Junky", drops right in with a super funky track, complete with claps and all. I really like the way the percussion and the bass just roll off of one another, with the claps emphasizing the beat. The piano has a really celebratory vibe to it. Wow, the vocals have a great range in this one. Wow, that electric guitar seems to come in at just the right times. Honestly the solos from all of the instruments are really impressive, and seem more to be a celebratory jam piece than anything else. The soundscape is almost swirling around at this point. I really want to own this record on vinyl, I hope there's another reissue sooner than later.
Although the previous track wasn't quite as psychedelic as the rest, "Composition Seven" comes back in with a somewhat relaxed psychedelic groove feel to the piece. So far it feels like it's going to be a really sweet, relaxed groovy jam for the whole song, and I can definitely dig that. The horns really make the music swell, while keys keep the tune grounded. Wow, this almost has a swinging jazz feel to it at this point. The range on this song alone, and especially the album is incredible. The effects definitely have gotten a bit strange at this point, but that just makes the song super interesting to me. I really dig what's going on in the percussion, it's like a really mellow pseudo-solo with some non-traditional western music instruments (I think). The song feels really sweet, it almost had a rain forest sort of vibe for a bit there. Really dynamic range in the song that feels like a natural progression of music the whole time. The ending is quite conclusive, especially with the only lyric at the end, giving a clear indication that the song, and in turn the album, was done playing.
Wow. I'm on an absolute roll right now the past couple of days with albums I want to purchase on vinyl. This one is a really awesome listen for music fans in general, though especially those who are fans of early 70s music, heavily draped in psychedelia. I'm stoked I gave this album a listen. Hopefully, if you listen to it as well, you enjoy it at least as much as I did.
-A