Rating:
Genre:
R&B
Release Date: 12/11/2007
While the title suggests this compilation was created with DJs or
hip-hop producers in mind,
Sample My Funky Groove, Vol. 1 brings together 16 rare
funk and
soul tracks from the '60s and '70s that ought to please anyone with an appreciation of vintage
R&B, and this is suitable for either dancing, listening, driving, or general keeping on. Kicking off with
Lee Dorsey's classic
"Everything I Do Goh Be Funky (From Now On)" (with
the Meters backing him up), this disc brings together nearly an hour of top-shelf
funk-soul grooves, some from well-known acts (
Dorsey,
Robert Parker,
Johnny Adams, and
Brian Auger) and others from obscure performers best remembered by crate-diggers with sharp memories (
Ironing Board Sam,
the Backyard Heavies, and
Moody Scott). But whether famous or unknown, everyone on
Sample My Funky Groove steps up with some potent old-school
funk, ranging from the slinky, laid-back sounds of
Lee Dorsey to the tougher, furious rhythms of
"How Do You Spell Love" from
Bobby Patterson, and the folks who compiled this thankfully didn't shy away from the socio-political messages of
Moody Scott's
"(We Gotta) Bust Out of the Ghetto" and Afro-centric feel of
"Black Water Gold" by
African Music Machine. If
Sample My Funky Groove, Vol. 1 really is the first part of a series, the folks at
Great American Music can start letting us hear more from this series any time they're ready -- this is great stuff.
~Mark Deming, All Music Guide