Life & Soul- Rob Life of BREAKIN BREAD

We have pleasure in introducing Rob Life of the Breakin Bread Collective to our review team. Rob will be hitting us with reviews of current funk releases.

Scroll Down for the following reviews:-

The Sugarman 3- Funky so-and-so pt 1+2. Daptone 45

Sharon Jackson and the Soul Destroyers-Fakin' it/ Keep on. Stark Reality 45.

The Fabulous Soul Investigators-Hot Pants on Fire/ A New Setting(Timmion) 7" single.

The New Mastersounds - Keb Darge presents... LP (Deepfunk/BBE)

Zook -Slinky (2 versions) 7" (Empire)

Sharon Jones + the Dap-Kings-Got a thing on my mind (vocal/instr.)7" (Daptone)

Lee Fields and the Dap-kings-Give me a chance (Pt 1+2) 7"(Daptone)


The Sugarman 3- Funky so-and-so pt 1+2. Daptone 45.

Here we have another top instrumental banga' from the likes of the Sugarman 3. This midtempo groove is funky as hell, no question, but the lead line also gives it a slightly quirky edge. This is more a compliment than a criticism as it moves the tune on from being just 'another' funk instrumental. This 45 also leans slightly towards the Breakestra 'sound', with the emphasis on 'break', which is no bad thing. Part 1 is more about the groove with a firing sax solo towards the end. Part 2, however, is all about the drums, with superb organ bridging the open breaks. All said and done another killa from Daptone. 3 out of 3 so far, gotta catch 'em all!

Sharon Jackson and the Soul Destroyers-Fakin' it/ Keep on. Stark Reality 45.

These Stark Reality releases do come thick 'n' fast, this is number 16 and frankly I'm finding it hard to keep up. This one is a corker though, 'Fakin' it' is a really, decent femme funk tune, but it's the flip, 'Keep on,' that's doin' it for me. The intro is wickedly soulful and then the beats kick in and were in full funk mode. Following this, the tune gets kinda pyschadelic about half way through, with horns and organ joining the vocal flow to create one big funky trip! A dancefloor winner for sure, 2 stonking good sides and no i wasn't doing acid when i wrote this.

The Fabulous Soul Investigators-Hot Pants on Fire/ A New Setting(Timmion) 7" single.

Now Soul Investigator's records have always got beats, but 'Oh my gosh!' they are super large on this 45. The kick drum alone is hard enough to knock seven bells out of Lennox Lewis, if only both breaks were a little longer, you little tease!! Anyway moving swiftly on, lets not forget the rest of the record, which is wicked too. What we have here is typical Soul Investigators fair, which luckily for us is super heavy, rugged, instrumental funk. Side A is an uptempo, bangin' club killer and the flip is real slow, perfect for the stoners and tapeheadz among us. Both tunes consist of baaad ass bass 'n' drum grooves, featuring just the right measures of guitar, horns and organ. This is my favourite Timmion 45 so far and the label comes highly recommended. Up till now all four releases have been pretty limited, so definitely acquire them if you get the chance.

The New Mastersounds - Keb Darge presents... LP (Deepfunk/BBE)

New Mastersound's previous 7" releases and live performances have created quite a buzz and thankfully this LP doesn't disappoint. If it's hard hitting, super tight funk you're after (and if you're reading this it probably is), then its here by the bucket load. The album begins with a killer funk re-working of 'the nervous track' by Masters at Work, which is perhaps destined to cross boundaries and bring some new fans to the genre. Following this we have both instrumental and vocal tracks including their wicked debut 7" 'one note brown'. There are also breaks aplenty so any B-boys/ Hip Hop headz won't miss out. My favourite tune, 'turn this thing around' has been rinsed every time I've played out recently and is a corking female vocal number (think Marva Whitney). In short a quality LP that anyone remotely interested in funk should own.

Zook -Slinky (2 versions) 7" (Empire).

I think this has been out a good few weeks, but I thought I'd include it 'cause I like it and haven't seen it reviewed anywhere else. This is a funk/blues number, reminiscent of an Al Green-backing track, with a simple groove, built up of guitar, drum and bass. Not a playout tune as such but the guitar here is delicious and the appeal lies in its simplicity. For the discerning listener, something perfect to chill to after a night of hard funk.

Sharon Jones + the Dap-Kings-Got a thing on my mind (vocal/instr.)7" (Daptone)

Raw vocal funk from new (to my knowledge) NY label, Daptone. This is pretty much what you'd expect from the man like Gabriel Roth (previously of Desco records). No frills, uptempo funk, built around a simple groove and made for the dancefloor. Thankfully the recording is 'authentic' but not so 'dog rough' as to render the tune almost unplayable (as with some previous Soul Fire releases). This stands out as one of the better releases from a lot of fairly average funk 45's that have been churned out recently. Well worth seeking out.

Lee Fields and the Dap-kings-Give me a chance (Pt 1+2) 7"(Daptone)

This one begins where the first Daptone 7" left off, with a similar feel and production values, but a slightly slower groove. Personally not quite as good as the Sharon Jones single but still worth buying none the less.

 

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