Customer Reviews

How Late Do U Have 2 B B 4 U R Absent?

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(8)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

George Clinton and some of his longstanding P.Funk cronies are now senior citizens, and the grown children and even grandchildren of some of the Mobsters are now Mobsters themselves. George and the Gang are still hard after all these years, but this lengthy and languid release shows them merging into the slow lane on the funk freeway. At more than two and half hours of mostly laidback workouts from a variety of All-Stars (supposedly recorded over a long period to boot), there's a bit too much to this package, and the long songs tend to repeat their grooves rather than work them into a frenzy. The low point is "I Can Dance," which repeatedly loops the basic riff from the old Funkadelic song "Nappy Dugout" for fifteen sleep-inducing minutes. Ballads such as "U Can Depend on Me" or "Never Ending Love" suffer from a lack or urgency and personality as well.

But there are still plenty of slammin' tracks in this release, stemming from George's immortal quest for new sounds. Ever since the late 70's, P.Funk tracks have generally sounded cluttered and busy as George tried to cram as many Funkateers into the studio as space or technology would allow. But here, many of the songs are refreshingly sparse and groove-oriented, good examples being "Su Su Su" and the delightfully nasty "Something Stank." There is also a great amount of genre experimentation here, at a level not heard since the early Funkadelic discs. This includes the smooth reggae of "Inhale Slow," rollicking jazz/blues in an expansive cover of "Whole Lotta Shakin'," and weird techno doo-wop in a cover of "Goodnight Sweetheart, Goodnight" which reunites four of the five original Parliaments. And the Mob shows it can still rock out with metallic precision in the guitarful "Viagra." In a great variety of ways, this release shows that George and the P.Funk All-Stars are getting old, but they'll continue to be the funkiest fogies you ever did see. [~doomsdayer520~]

How late do you have 2BB4UR Absent? Not sure, but but what we do know is that this new double CD from the Parliament-Funkadelic Funk Mob is right on time! George Clinton's voice is stronger than it has been in many years and the band is crankin'. This CD features George's son and his grand daughter also. Looks like they will carry on the "freak" tradition. I would have preferred one great focused Funkadelic CD but I guess George was trying to please all of his new post "Jerry Garcia" fans on this one. You have your R&B grooves, your Belita Woods vocals and even a 15 minute loop of the classic Funkadelic jam "Nappy Nugout". Although Prince also rocks on the CD, I would have liked more funky rock n roll guitarisms from Mike Hampton and Garry Shider.

Something "stank" and I want some!

This is a real return to form and a decent snapshot of where PFunk is in 2005. There are some real standout tracks here but considering how many tracks there are, there's surprisingly little filler (unfortunately that doesn't mean no filler, but there are few pfunk albums without a couple of over-indulgent tracks).
It's been possible for a few years to get tracks by some of the artists on here (if you dig around hard enough) e.g. Kendra Foster, Sativa and Trey Lewd have all had solo projects out (including some of the songs on here) but the tracks produced for this album are all much stronger.
George has also changed his own approach a bit here, not draughting in loads of rap/R&B stars and mostly relying on the current members of the touring Funk Mob. He hasn't overproduced this album and this leads to simpler and better tracks.
My personal favourite is 'Sexy Side of You'. Really catchy, can't get the chorus out of my head, it's a slice of old school PFunk. But there's plenty for everyone here, no matter what your preferred pfunk style is. It's also more accessible to all than some recent albums and if you've not bought a pfunk album before then this could be a decent starting point. (But if this is your starting point, go straight back out there and buy Parliament's 'Chocolate City' and Funkadelic's 'Let's Take it to the Stage' afterwards.)

What is a booty, and how do you know if you're shaking it? Thank God for George Clinton so that we will always have an answer to that question. ...Absent is a sprawling conglomeration of P-Funk-related tracks, great and small. In all honesty, this album really deserves around 3 stars, but the pieces and parts can be removed and built into a 4-4.5 star funk opus. There is no question that some songs drag down the average a bit.

One thing that concerned me before I bought this album was the wide variety of artists credited to different songs. Kendra who? Sativa? Don't worry. GC is all over this thing, and when you listen to it you won't be able to tell the difference. There are a variety of flavors here, just take your pick. "Watchamacallit" sounds like a TAPOAFOM-era jam. "Because/Last Time Zone" is a trippy, Funkadelic-style piece that borrows from the Beatles. "Sexy Side of You" is the perfect semi-sleazy slice of funk/pop that you didn't even know you've been waiting for. Its arguably the best thing Clinton has done in a decade.

One aspect that I really liked about this album was the integration of hip-hop, throughout. P-Funk and Hip-Hop have been intertwined since DJs began sampling Parliament in the early 80s (or late 70s, maybe) but never has it been married together as convincingly as "Trust in Yourself", for example. Another selling point are the guest spots, with two in particular standing out. While the Prince collabo, "Paradigm", doesn't exactly live up to the billing of the two greatest funkateers this side of Sly Stone, it is a can't-miss moment nonetheless. Del the Funkee Homosapien's freestyle over Funkadelics sludgy metal is the reason I picked this up in the first place. Ultimately, if you love the funk, you can do worse than this release.

Here is my ultra-sleek streamlined version:

1. Bounce 2 This
2. Butt-A-Butt
3. Paradigm
4. Gypsy Woman
5. Inhale Slow
6. Viagra
7. Because/Last Time Zone
8. Su, Su, Su
9. Sexy Side of You
10. Watchamacallit
11. Trust in Yourself
12. I'll Be Sittin' Here

Of course, you'll want to cater yours to your specific tastes.

George Clinton and crew proves that it takes creativity and skills to last 20 plus years. Paradigm and I Can Dance are both Funk Hall Of Fame candidates. Paradigm is sooo creative. I'm old school, but my daughter and friends are 16 year old hip-hopsters. THEY LOVE THAT PARADIGM! I Can Dance is like no other. The blend of the sister expressing herself and the funk behind has to come from the masters like George and Crew. WELCOME BACK FUNK and THANK YOU BIG GEORGE and the P_FUNK ALL STARS!!

This album took me some time to get into. My first impression was frustration because it felt like a rap album, largely devoid of funk. But after a few listens there are several gems to be discovered and it has grown on me. This is certainly a mixed bag though, heavy on rap/hip-hop and light on funk.

My biggest problem with the record is how rap/hip-hop seems to be extinguishing the life out of funk music, at least in my opinion. I like my funk uncut. There are numerous times where a great song gets going and then rap music trashes the song. For example, "Viagra" (Viagravation?) starts out with an excellent, exciting riff and then goes limp the moment the rapping begins. What a waste of an otherwise outstanding guitar track! This would have been my favorite track if it wasn't for that dreadful rapping. Too bad it wasn't just an instrumental like an out-of-control "Maggot Brain" in high gear. Nice lyrics at the end though.

Another great funky track is "Something Stank." The beginning and ending are great but the middle takes a sharp nosedive into an annoying rap song which defuses the good groove they had going. Mercifully, the rap part is only a minute long before the funk is restored.

"U Ain't Runnin Sh#t" is a gangster rap song that I find quite unpleasant. "I'll Be Sittin' Here" is a decent song that would be far better without the rap interlude. "Trust in Yourself" is easily the worst song on the album. It has crass and sexist rap lyrics that just don't belong on a funk record. This song is the anti-funk! "Otherside," a bonus track after the puerile "Booty," is another rap song with a profane chorus. What's the deal with all the foul language on these rap songs? Innuendo is fun but I don't want to hear cussing all song long. No class. "Butt-a-Butt" is too hip-hop for my tastes, but not as bad as other rap tracks on the album.

But there are some great moments as well making this album worth checking out. "Bounce 2 This" is the type of song that reminds you why you love funk so much. It's up-tempo and fun. "Su, Su, Su" has a nice funky slow groove. "U Can Depend On Me" doesn't have much in the way of funk but is one of my favorite tracks on the album. It's got some nice guitar weaving its way through the song and a lovely chorus. The Belita Woods songs are all outstanding. My favorite song though is "I Can Dance." It's a 15-minute loop of "Nappy Dugout" with Sue Dog having a conversation with George. Bad language aside, the track is pretty damn funny. Other favorites include "Gypsy Woman" and "Watchamacallit."

If you are new to funk skip this one for now and start elsewhere, but for long-time fans I'd say there are enough satisfying tracks to make it worth picking up. There are more positives than negatives. However, I have an impending sense that the Mothership is going in the direction of rap and hip-hop, and if that be the case, it feels like the beginning of the end to me.

Honestly, when it comes to the master of funk, i expect so much more. i bought this album to add to my p. funk collection expecting to hear some classic bass lines, and funky grooves but instead got a hip/hop infused, almost completely funkless, soulless album. i actually considered throwing it out the window after a first listen, the second listen saved its life. to say ive never been this dissapointed in an album is an understatement. RIP to the funk....

I have been reading some of the reviews online for this CD and I am wondering for the P-Funk haters with the state of black music on the radio what do you people expect? I like this double CD because George was going for the old & new sound of today's overproduced and water down sound.The songs I really liked were "Bounce 2 This" a funk jam for the ages,"Inhale Slow","Never Ending Love","Su,Su,Su","Something Stank","Viagra","Paradigm","Gyspy Woman","Whole Lotta Shakin",and "Goodnight Sweetheart,Goodnight".There were some songs I didn't care for songs like "I Can Dance" which went on for too long and "Butt-a-Butt".I wish Mr. Clinton would brought some of his trademark characters to this CD:Sir Nose,Starchild,Dr.Funkenstein,the monkey,The Horny Horns,etc.In short,this is a very good album better than the pervious P-Funk albums in the 90's.This CD is a good start!

For those of yall who have been waiting 10 years for a new P-Funk studio album, here it is! MUCH better than Dope Dogs or T.A.P.O.A.F.O.M, even better than Play With Bootsy. I only give 4 stars because of the filler, but what do you expect from a 2 disc album?

The good thing about this double cd is that George Clinton has complete creative control again. GC was recently awarded a couple of million dollars and the rights to old Funkadelic masters, so he can now afford to put out new music on his own label. There are none of the painfull attempts at high energy radio friendly funk hits like on 'Hey Man...Smell My Finger' and 'TAPOAFOM'.

"Absent" is more similar to 'Dope Dogs'. Like that cd it is a random collection of tracks recorded over a long period that were originally intended for long promised new Funkadelic or Parliament albums that never materialized.

Unlike 'Dope Dogs' it has several tracks that have been released before, on the solo albums by Kendra Foster and GC's granddaughter Sativa. The Kendra Foster tracks are excellent, especially opener 'Bounce 2 This' thanks to Bernie Worrell, David "Atomic Dog" Spradley and GC's trademark group vocal arrangement.

Kendra Foster is a relatively recent addition to the p-funk mob, but most tracks on this double cd are over a decade old. Belita Woods' live track 'More Than Words Can Say' dates from the early 1990s. As far as I know 'Paradigm' with Prince even dates from the late 1980s when GC was at Paisley Park.

Around 2000, 2001 Parliament-Funkadelic was signed to Mammoth Records for a while and GC did recording sessions for an album with Bootsy Collins, Bernie Worrell, members of Fishbone and other musical heavy hitters. Nothing from those sessions appears on this album. What happened to those sessions? Are they in Mammoth's vault?

For the recent (?) tracks GC is relying more and more on second level members of the p-funk mob and his own family. Sativa and GC's son Trey Lewd both have horrible voices. Garry Shider's kids Kevin, Tim and Nate aren't exactly virtuoso either judging from 'Sexy Side Of You' - which is a fun song nevertheless. GC himself should probably leave the singing to Gary Cooper, Clip Payne, Steve Boyd, Garry Shider etc.

Can p-funk still do it or has crack cocaine fried their brains beyond repair? I'm no less worried than I was. The 15 minute 'I Can Dance' sounds like it was put together from old samples and tapes and the production credit goes to unknowns Raquel Brussolo and Gary Thomas Wright. There are more tracks where GC seems, well, absent.

"Absent" was announced as a preview of more new work to come from Parliament, Funkadelic, Belita Woods, Kendra Foster etc. I really hope GC and co. are all well and will get their act together for that new Funkadelic or Parliament album.