On the Jungle Floor

Van Hunt is a serious musical anomaly. He is an extremely talented Songwriter, Producer, and Musician, but his music, though extremely easy to get into, is difficult to describe. It is a blend of Funk, R&B, and Bedroom soul, with a pinch of Prince and dash of Zappa. What becomes apparent listening to Van Hunt's 2004 album On the Jungle Floor( Capitol Records), is that Hunt is a musicians musican, and a producers producer.

Most of the instruments on the album are played by Hunt himself and the album is extremely eclectic mix of everything from Garage Rock("Ride Ride Ride") to Prince-styled synth funk ("If i take you home"), demonstrating Hunts ability to write catchy pop hooks in a wide array of musical vernaculars.



Hunt's voice(both musical and physical) are very distinctive and he has set himself apart as a songwriter who is not afraid to experiment( musically and lyrically). Lyrical content on the album is wrought with wordplay and double entendres forcing the listener to pay attention to Hunt's subtle wit(Especially evident on "Hot Stage Lights").

Hunt's take on the obscure Stooges song "No Sense of Crime" shows that he is willing to explore any genre of music and has a large range of influences. It also indicates that Hunt will be a very interesting artist to watch, because OTJF gives the listener the sense that Hunt is not about stop experimenting anytime soon.



Listening to this album on headphones is a very strange experience. The music expands into another dimension and the production really shines, but there is a very strange feeling that accompanies this. It makes the listener feel like a voyeur...like what Hunt is saying was meant for himself or his diary and that by listening to it you are privy to something that you should not be.
In short, It is a headphone masterpiece.




www.myspace.com/vanhunt

Check out the song Man of thre Year...it is unbeliveable.

Connie Price and the Keystones

Im just gonna come out and say it. This band is BAAD. Helmed by Dan Ubick of the Breakestra on guitar and Todd M. Simon on trumpet, Connie Price and the Keystones take hard funk into dangerous territory.

In general, funk has two mortal enemies: Slow Tempos and Minor Keys. The Keystones have overcome these obstacles by creating grooves that, though slow, drip with soul so sticky, it would eliminate the need for tar in the process of tarring and feathering.

Where the Breakestra plays it safe, opting for more predictable upbeat, James Brown Style funk, Connie price and the keystones frequently explore more interesting musical territory collaborating with rappers like Big Daddy Kane and Percee P.


Their Debut Full length Wildflowers on Now Again Records, features appearances by Malcolm Catto, and members of: Funk Inc, Poets Of Rhythm, and The L.A. Carnival.An Appropriate title for this genre of music would be progressive funk because, even though the band handles old school funk with great facility, it is their experimentation that makes them extremely memorable. The Whimsicality of "the Buzzard", the slow dripping funk of "Give a Demonstration 2", and the ghostly, eerie, cinematic ability of "The Shadows of Leaves" are what sets this band apart from a conventional funk band.

Osmium

Osmium (1970, Invictus Records)

Lets Face it. Any project that George Clinton is involved with is going to have some of the strangest, funniest lyrical matter that anyone has ever come across. Lyrics alone don't make an album great though, and on Osmium (my favorite Parliament album), they are secondary. Even though the lyrical matter is seriously funny( "My Automobile", "Funky Woman", "Nothing before me but thang"), the music on this is a force to be reckoned with.

Starting with the inimitable "I Call my baby Pussycat", the band goes off on a notably heavy, Hendrixesque journey, that, for a Parliament album, is remarkably structured. Vocals all round are excellent, and the guitar intro from "Hardcore Jollies" doesn't hurt either.



The Ruth Copeland penned "Little ole Country Boy"(best known as a sample from De La Soul's "Potholes in My Lawn" ) is a funky and at times psychedelic, humorous lament that uses just the right amount of twang, while "The Silent Boatman" and "Moonshine Heather" are beautiful songs that , though out of place, add a stranger, more interesting dimension to the album.



Parliament does rock music better than most rock bands. They infuse into it an underlying groove that is undeniable, and that is why the rockier tracks on this album ("Nothing Before Me But Thang", "Funky Woman" and "Living the Life") excell. There is something on these tracks that the listener would not get with a conventional rock n roll band. The Afro Alien funky mythos runs wild on these tunes.

The real treat on this album however, is the bonus tracks. "Red Hot Mama" is an interesting example of this song before it transformed into the version we know on "Standing On The Verge Of Getting It On." "Come in out of the Rain" is the single most poignant song on the album and sounds like the theme song to a political march.



If you are looking for an early Parliament album but are unsure of which one to get, buy this album. While "Up For the Down Stroke" is a great record. This album has ten times more soul and musical spirit and expresses the great fun and carefree mentality that Parlia-Funkadelic still had in their early days.

And if you ask me....it is the best album that Hendrix never made. R.I.P Eddie Hazel.

Tracks

1. I Call My Baby Pussycat
2. Put Love On Your Life
3. Little Ole Country Boy
4. Moonshine Heather
5. Oh Lord, Why Lord
6. My Automobile
7. Nothing Before Me But Thang
8. Funky Woman
9. Livin The Life
10. The Silent Boatman
11. Breakdown (Mono version)
12. Red Hot Mama
13. Come In Out Of The Rain
14. Loose Booty
15. Fantasy Is Reality
16. Unfinished Instrumental
17. Breakdown (stereo unedited version)