G. Love & Special Sauce

G. Love & Special Sauce

Product Details

• Audio CD (May 10, 1994)
• Original Release Date: May 10, 1994
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Sony
• ASIN: B0000029IS
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  Audio Cassette  |  Vinyl  |  Mini-Disc  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (50 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #12,742 in Music (See Bestsellers in Music)

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  Music > Rap & Hip-Hop > Experimental Rap

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

With Beck's unexpected commercial breakthrough, everyone's suddenly interested in a new kind of music best described as "slacker-rap." Although it uses the sing-song cadences of hip-hop, it's the polar opposite of gangsta rap; in both its laid-back delivery and self-deprecating lyrics, slacker-rap acknowledges vulnerability and failure. It was done first and best by Washington's Basehead, but it gets an invigorating twist on "G. Love and Special Sauce," the eponymous debut album from this Philadelphia trio.

G. Love not only looks like Michael Stipe, but he has the same mealy-mouthed vocal delivery. If Stipe ever decided to record his first rap album with an unplugged blues trio, it'd probably sound a lot like "G. Love and Special Sauce." Recorded live with no drum machines, samples or overdubs, the album creates a fresh, distinctive sound with its odd blend of lazy rapping and funky acoustic blues. Unfortunately, G. Love's absurdist observations on life aren't as funny as those by John S. Hall of King Missle, and the laid-back minimalism of the music wears thin after a while. Only "Baby's Got Sauce," which boasts a pop hook and a valentine to a domineering woman, holds up on repeated listens. --Geoffrey Himes

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Un-guilty pleasure, July 14, 2000

By	James Burke (Florida) - See all my reviews

This album is great in a Zen sense: It just IS great. Inspired by, derived from, because of, in spite of -- no matter. No matter how G.Love and pals got to the point the did, they did, and the results are magic.

I say this because G. Love, from a sarcastic critic's eye, is a billboard-sized target. His affected bluesman scat borders on parody, and his wirey delta chops were more likely absorbed through 70 watts of Volvo wagon stereo than a Mississippi roadhouse -- white boys singing the blues are always suspect, and usually with good cause.

But once in a blue moon, one of our suburban brethren pops out a keeper. And man, this IS a keeper. Six years and, I don't know, 200 plays later, this disc is still as fresh and smooth as a peach. There is simply nothing else that sounds like this, it just clicked, this is THE sound. It swings, it rocks, it grooves, it flows, it chops, it dices -- it works.

Somewhere down the line, someone will call you out on this disc, accuse it of being a fraud, and point you instead to some "real" blues in the form a scratchy 78 vinyl 1923 pressing of Old Man Blind Whisky Slim Johnson. Have none of this. Enjoy this disc, enjoy it often, and it enjoy it guilt-free.

11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Refreshing, July 29, 2003

By	A. Bubul (PA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

G. Love (Garret Dutton) and his band, Special Sauce are a somewhat underrated band from Philly that are emblematic (in the best way possible) of the rare musical amalgamation of folk, blues and hip-hop. G's delightful talent is displayed here on his first cd in a very mellow, summery manner. The singles Cold Beverage (for a brief extant it played on a Coors commercial) and Baby's Got Sauce received moderate success, but really, every song on the album is fun and unique, all capable of being singles. My favorite track is probably This Ain't Living, but I really like every song on the cd. If you're in the mood for some upbeat, relaxed tunes, this is a great buy. It will really please you, and it's one of those cds you can listen to countless times without getting tired of it. G sums things up pretty well on the final song as he croons so simply and sweetly, "I know it sounds old, but I love you."

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Best G-Love Album Ever, October 4, 2004

By	Kaotic1 - See all my reviews

Hard to top this one. I have been listening to G for nearly a decade now ever since a friend turned me onto them in 95. How dare the Amazon reviewer Geoffrey Himes even compare G-Love to REM or Michael Stipe. There is no connection, and G-Love & Special Sauce has their own very groovy mellow "making you feel good" groove. It is hard to beat. Whether cruising on a road trip, kickin back with family & friends on lazy summer night or out on a date & trying to set the mood, this album feels good and enhances the positve vibe.