Willie George Hale, also known as Little Beaver, is an r&b guitarist who first started his career in the late 1960s. In 1974, a song from this record, Party Down (1974), reached #2 on the US Billboard R&B chart. His work has been sampled by hip hop artists such as Jay-Z in recent years. Though Hale essentially took a hiatus from his recording career from the early 1980s until 2003, when Betty White recruited him to play on some Joss Stone albums. I’m pretty stoked to give this album a listen, so with that said, I’m going to jump on into the music.
“Party Down, Pt. 1” starts out with what sounds to be some chatter from a party or gathering in the background, and gets grooving into this super smooth r&b groove that I’m really digging. The tone and playing of Hale’s guitar is super flavorful, and reminds me a bit of Grant Green in both of those respects, except in a more r&b setting than you might typically hear with Green. The percussion in this track is super interesting, with a combination of a steady, flowing backbeat, the shaking of a tambourine, and what sounds to be a super steady gallop from an electric keyboard of some sort. Great track.
Oh wow, “Party Down, Pt. 2” fades right in where the previous tune left off. Oh wow, the laid back feel of this track is super groovy. Holy smokes, the guitar picks up the slightest bit of distortion, and adds a ton of flavor in the process. Oh wow, this seems to be an instrumental except from the party chatter in the background, which adds a really sweet ambiance to the track. Wow, super groovy track, and I’m stoked to hear more.
Oh wow, “Money Vibrations” starts out with a super groovy beat, and is soon joined by what sounds to be one guitar (or possibly a keyboard) sent through an envelope filter, a funky and groovy bass line, and a super groovy guitar line that almost has a bit of twang to it. Though the song is quite different in structure from Pink Floyd’s “Money”, I can’t help but think of think of it because there are a few shared flavors between the two tracks. Wow, great track.
Oh wow, “Get Into the Party Life” starts out with such an interesting mixture of percussive sounds. One part of the rhythm sounds like it’s made with a drum pad, and is complemented by a drum kit on the other side, all while a super sweet guitar part melts between the two. Oh wow, one of the guitars picks up some distortion and a wah effect that almost reminds me a bit of a Jimi Hendrix sort of sound. Super groovy track.
“I Can Dig It Baby” starts out with some really smooth, sweet r&b grooves that have a bit of a funk inflection. Oh wow, I really dig the bass line in this track. The high notes of the vocals seem to accentuate the instrumentation really well while almost describing how hot the grooves have gotten. I’m really digging the swing in the drums in this track. Super sweet tune.
“Let the Good Times Roll” starts out with some super interesting percussion like some of the earlier tracks, and a really groovy and melty electric guitar line that harkens back to late 1960s psychedelic rock with a funky presentation. This whole album so far has nearly felt like one whole track with one super groovy vibe, while still differing to keep those listening continually interested and listening closer throughout the experience. Oh wow, some high hats from the drums come into the soundscape and dial the flavor up to 11, breaking off the flavor knob in the process. Great track.
Oh wow, “Let’s Stick Together” starts out with a rolling, melty guitar line that I’m really digging, and is shortly followed by some super sweet vocals that add a ton of groovy feeling to the track. The playing sounds a bit softer and looser in a sort of conclusory way, which only makes the overall feel of the album even sweeter. Super groovy track, and a great way to end the album.
Wow, this album is pretty sweet. As an amateur guitarist, I really dug a lot of the flavors throughout the album that reminded me a lot of some of my favorites. The tone and playing style reminded me of Grant Green quite a bit, while the effects reminded me a bit of a funk-inflected Jimi Hendrix. The percussion and rhythm in this album are super groovy as well. I can understand how some of these tracks would make for great samples in a hip hop beat. If you’re a fan of hip hop and/or also dig some 1970s funk-inflected r&b, you might want to consider checking out this album. If you do decide to give this album a listen, I sincerely do hope that you enjoy the listening experience at least as much as I did.
-A