It's time waveriders!It's time to pay homage to the funk, the whole funk, and nothing but the
funk!So help me, humans cannot live on wickedly
distorted riffs alone.We need to fill
our musical pyramid with sounds and flavors from other genres in order to enjoy
a healthy existence.Thankfully Galactic and their latest release Into The Deep are here to help us
achieve that feat.
Full disclosure; I love Galactic.I first heard them around the turn of the millennium when I went to see the group live in concert.At the time I knew next to nothing about Galactic and their performance utterly blew me away.When the show wound down I visited the merch table, purchased two of their albums, and they've been an integral part of my listening life ever since.So what makes this band so special?
Galactic is a funk band from New Orleans.That in itself doesn't distinguish them from countless other groups mining the same musical vein.What does separate Galactic from their peers is the band's willingness to embrace change and offer different versions of themselves with each album they release.Into The Deep is the latest example of this approach in action.Instead of playing it safe and offering their fans a simple rehash of their older material the eleven songs making up this fantastic album jump from genre to genre, strength to strength.
"Sugar Doosie" begins the proceedings by establishing where the band comes from.This instrumental track is rooted squarely in the sound of New Orleans."Higher And Higher" follows with a decidedly upbeat Sly And The Family Stone flavor.Next up is the title track, an incredibly soulful, down-tempo song featuring Macy Gray on vocals.Other standouts include the dancehall friendly "Right On" featuring Charm Taylor, the touching "Does It Really Make A Difference" featuring Mavis Staples, the Motown-infused "Domino" featuring Ryan Montbleau, and the sinfully ominous instrumental "Buck 77".
Friends, world citizens, waveriders!Into The Deep from Galactic is nothing short of a funky, soulful, energetic good time!Pick up your copy, hit play, and get the party started!You all deserve it.
-Penfold
