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If, like me, you’ve never heard of The New Mastersounds, but you’re needing more instrumental funk in your life, this spectacular 19-song ten-year retrospective is a perfect place to begin.
Throughout these tracks, the core quartet of Eddie Roberts (guitar/tambourine), Simon Allen (drums), Pete Shand (bass) and Bob Birch (organ) deliver funky grooves popularized by Stax Records, The Meters and Brother Jack McDuff (whose “Butter for Yo’ Popcorn” they cover). The versatility doesn’t end there, however. Tracks like “Land of Nod” and “La Cova” add psychedelia to the mix, drawing from Miles Davis in his Bitches Brew mode. “Better Off Dead” pushes the psychedelic elements further with sitar, rather than guitar, driving the melody. A three-piece horn section joins the band on “Nervous” for some high energy Fela Kuti-ish afrobeat.
Need a new party album? This is it. Enough said.
