If you kick off your record with some of the best funk bass work since Larry Graham dropped the mad and marvelous ‘POW’ on an unsuspecting public, you are bound to grab the attention of even those, like me, who probably aren’t so well-versed in the genre. But opener, ‘Get Me Back,’ is that sort of song, and JoJo Green is rewriting the rules of the genre, or at least reminding us why ‘nu-funk’ was the natural next step in its long and storied…err…story.
Yes, funky basslines and soul licks might ground the sound, but rock weight, jazz intricacies, disco grooves, and even a few psychedelic moves take this fabulous five-track to new heights while still acknowledging the sonic giants whose musical shoulders the band stood on to see the future.
‘Two Different People’ is more relaxed, slinky, and seductive, sax-soaked and vocally gorgeous, while the title track drifts along effortlessly, a sonic expression of that moment between sleeping and being fully awake, smooth and serene before hitting the sonic heights…and man, if you thought that Sharisse Germain could sing before you heard this track, strap in, you ain’t heard nothing.
‘Couldn’t Do Wrong’ is understated and elegant, feeling like the soundtrack to the most sophisticated and exclusive jazz bar in town, and the final track, ‘Timothy B. Schmit,’ is an instrumental tune of many sonic moods, from the quirky to the killer, a perfect summation and showcase of the band’s scope and scale and compositional chops.
As someone not naturally drawn to the funk and soul world (hey, there’s only so much time; I can’t listen to everything), it speaks volumes that I, an old-school rock and indie kid, fell for Paint The Sky, Pt. 1 so instantly and so hard. So to call the EP and the band behind it both genre-hopping and commanding mass appeal isn’t the hyperbole it might seem. Anything but.
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