3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Old and new sounds combine to make your ears happy, December 1, 2003
By A Customer
This review is from: The Air is Fresher Underground (Audio CD)
The word is, Bootsy Collins once described Freekbass as the 'new spiritual warrior of the funk' and he wasn't lyin'. This band is known for their fantastic jam-happy rump-shakin' live shows in the vein of P-Funk and Prince, and their newest album captures the energy and sound of the live experience perfectly.
While firmly rooted in old-school funk, 'Air' stretches in different directions, incorporating rock and hip-hop as well as some very trippy killer spoken word. The album also features guest performances that true funk fans will freak over, including Bootsy Collins and his brother Catfish, Buckethead, Bernie Worrell, and others. If these guys are willing to hitch their wagon to a relative unknown like Freekbass, you KNOW it's worth checking out!
For those who aren't in the loop, Bootsy is a graduate of the P-Funk collective, and he and Catfish both played with James Brown. Buckethead is probably best known as the guy who replaced Slash in Guns-n-Roses, and Bernie Worrell played with P-Funk and the Talking Heads. How's that for endorsement?
Freekbass' label (the Cincinnati-based indie Gemini Records) also has another great release by the 4-Track All Stars, which shares some members with Freekbass and is another great pick for funk fans, though their music leans more toward hip-hop/urban jazz.
Fans of old-school funk will dig this album for its roots, and funk-rock fans will dig it for where it's going, but in the end it's all about the music. 'The Air is Fresher Underground' is some of the best independant music to come out of the funk scene in a long time and it's worth checking out.
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
Was this review helpful to you? Yes
No
3.0 out of 5 stars
ok...but just missing something, May 13, 2006
This review is from: The Air is Fresher Underground (Audio CD)
Freekbass is clearly better than 90% of the music out there, the worse Freekbass track recorded is still better than half of the CD's available on Amazon and buying this album won't dissappoint anyone with a love for the funk or fun music...but I can't help but wonder what happened between the two albums out currently - "Body over mind" is an amazing album which never seems to get old and is solid from top to bottom but this album seems to have too much filler and seems to processed and dry in comparrison. It's not bad it just isn't as good as the last album.
Good album just not as good as "Body over Mind"
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
Was this review helpful to you? Yes
No
