Customer Reviews

Funk Inc

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I love this group. While a lot of Jazz organists were trying to cross over into the realm of funk and soul, these were soul cats doing the Hammond B-3 thing. All of their albums bumped and grooved - - and Bobby Watley (hope my memory serves me right) could play the heck out of that box. They must have been the Medeski Martin and Wood/Maceo Parker of their time, fusing the Lou Donaldson/Jimmy McGriff sound with funk and groove music. The RA tracks speak for themselves. After this check out The Counts, McGriff, John Patton, Grant Green and The Meters.

Not really a Hammond B-3 record as much as a general purpose funk workout by very talented musicians. Every song is good, but particularly so is "Running Away" which became one of my all-time favorite songs of any type the first time I heard it. My two-year old daughter begs me to play this song every night, and I never get sick of it. The musicianship is excellent throughout.

If your not familiar with Funk Inc. then this is a great place to start. They were a mildly well known band of the early 70's that never made it big. They combine a phenomenal mix of jazz and funk to give you a sound which just makes you move. The sax is a constant and is as uplifting as any, while the synthesizer rocks the whole album. I'd recommend it to anyone.

For the last couple of weeks I've been groovin' to this bundle of Funk, Inc.'s first two albums, Funk Inc. & Chicken Lickin'. Funk Inc. is like the illegitimate child of Jack McDuff's original quartet (with Duke, Holloway and Benson) and The Meters. It's got that laid back groove that the Meters have, but it's a lot more jazz-oriented and exploratory. And it's simply awesome. Just listen to the intro of the first track, Kool is Back and you'll be captured by that guitar hook.

OK, so maybe some of the tracks drag on for a little too long, and the instrumental version of BB King's The Thrill is Gone is really missing the lyrics (and the point), but still, it's about the best groove this side of the Greyboys Allstars, and 25 years earlier too!

good grooves from an obscutre funk group a shame everybody sayus there's no good music out therfe all you have to do is explore more funk inc was a pretty good group.