Tag: funk

Mama’s Gun | Cheap Hotel

“Cheap Hotel (2014) is UK band Mama’s Gun third album,” (Soul&Jazz&Funk). “The Andy Platts-fronted outfit debuted with Routes To Riches and its pleasing, soul-slanted pop won underground acclaim, though the set went to 3 in the Japanese album charts! The band’s second LP, The Life And Soul, was (as the name might imply) a much more soulful affair and one of the tracks, ‘Pots Of Gold’ won the affection of real soul fans worldwide. For Cheap Hotel, the band … have reunited with their first producer – Julian Simmons (who’s recently worked with Ed Sheeran and the Guillemots) and not surprisingly the overall sound of the set reverts back to a poppier flavor, albeit a very classy kind of pop with, yes, a touch of soul still about it.

Group leader Platts, we’re told, has eclectic tastes. He cites Motown and funk as amongst his formative influences, but he admits to a huge passion for ELO (Electric Light Orchestra) — and it’s that Brummie based outfit’s sound that dominates Cheap Hotel … Dip in almost anywhere here and you’ll be reminded of ELO – maybe garnished with a hint of the Beatles or the sounds of a little gentleman called Prince, but it’s almost all that slick, polished ELO pop sound … Cheap Hotel is a great pop album with just a touch of soul about it.”

The title track begins like a particularly funky day on Sesame Street, complete with a hook doubled between whistles and a tinny toy xylophone. But after the verse starts at 0:18, occasional extra beats and a Prince-like high lead vocal on the chorus confirm that this isn’t a theme from a children’s TV show. At 0:53, the second verse brings an upward half-step key change, but at 1:09, the tonality deflates back to the original key. It’s tempting to wait for another key change at some point during the tune, but other than some quick shifts during an instrumental break (1:29 – 1:53), it never arrives!

Was (Not Was) | Spy in the House of Love

It’s difficult to sum up the 80s cult favorite band Was (Not Was), founded in 1979 in Detroit by David Weiss and Don Fagenson, who adopted the unlikely stage names David Was and Don Was. “‘Don and I started recording in the Pleistocene Era, with Fred Flintstone producing,’ says David Was in the promotional materials accompanying the release of punk-funk band’s retrospective compilation Pick of the Litter 1980 – 2010,” (Slant Magazine). “… (The band) fashioned some of the most cracked, amusing, disturbing non-sequiturs of 1980s no-wave. The band’s early work straddled the dividing line between post-disco and arty punk, resulting in three propulsive smart-stupid underground dance tracks …

Still, Was (Not Was) seemed adamant to avoid being pigeonholed as brainy outcasts from Boogie Wonderland, and their following few albums would prove them to be adept musical scavengers, true Warholian kitchen-sink artists. Be it recruiting Ozzy Osbourne to drone-rap ‘You can’t sue Buddha for libel’ over a electro-pop ditty … or inviting Mel Tormé to croon an elegant piano lounge neo-standard about a boy named Zaz who nearly choked to death one night in the park, Was (Not Was) made invention its own reward … though Robert Christgau sort of had the band’s number when he backhandedly complimented ‘It’s worth five minutes on David Letterman,’ you have to remember, that was when Letterman was really, really cool.”

1987’s “Spy in the House of Love” featured the Was “brothers” on bass and keys, allowing their hand-picked band to take center stage. The synth-heavy textures betray the tune’s late-80s vintage, but the track’s pop-funk sensibilities rule the day. Thoroughly in keeping with the band’s eclectic reputation, the track hit #21 on the UK Singles chart, #13 on the Irish pop chart, #16 on the Billboard Hot 100, and #77 on Billboard’s Hot R&B/HipHop chart. It even reached #1 on the US Dance Club chart, but somehow still takes a back seat to the band’s terminally goofy “Walk the Dinosaur.” Starting in G minor, the track shifts up a full step to A minor from 3:33 – 3:50. The tonality then reverts to the original key — not directly but rather via a compelling double chromatic step-down. Don’t listen to the lyrics too closely unless you’re thoroughly prepared — file them under R for “restraining order!”

Many thanks to our regular contributor Rob P. for this wonderful submission!

Orange Guava Passion | Eagletown

“Eight Brown University students united by an undying love for all things groovy” is how Orange Guava Passion is described on Spotify. “Named after a juice offered in the Sharpe Refectory, Orange Guava Passion oozes Brown influence: youthfulness, idiosyncrasy and an aversion to the cardinal sin of taking oneself too seriously,” says a write-up in the Brown Daily Herald. “Their lyrics fill the bingo card of things stereotypical liberal arts college students enjoy, from Subarus to Trader Joe’s.”

“Eagletown,” released in 2020, is one of the group’s three singles. The track begins in F and shifts up to G at 3:16. There is a final modulation up to A at 3:49.

Third Reprise | Defying Gravity (from “Wicked” feat. Amanda Barise)

The musical theater cover band Third Reprise released their arrangement of “Defying Gravity” from the musical blockbuster Wicked earlier this year. Featuring vocalist Amanda Barise, the tune is filled with reharmonizations and set to a funk groove that provides a sharp contrast to the original. A film adaption of Schwartz’s musical opens in theaters tomorrow.

The track begins in Db major and modulates down a half step to C near the end at 3:39.

Commodores | Funny Feelings

“Known as Zoom in the UK, the Commodores’ eponymous fifth LP (1977) was … very much a transitional work, highlighting the greasy southern funk that the group so ably practiced before pianist and saxophonist Lionel Richie firmly took centre stage,” (BBC). “The album was a huge hit in the US, setting the Commodores up for their chart-topping scene stealing as the 70s became the 80s. In the UK, the reaction was a little more muted. However, ‘Easy’ paved the way for ‘Three Times a Lady’ and ‘Still,’ and Lionel Richie’s unshakeable place as a favourite artist of millions.”

Another track from the album, the midtempo “Funny Feelings,” features an intro in F# minor. At 0:15, however, the first verse settles in with B minor. At 1:01, the chorus shifts to E major. From 1:22 – 1:36, an instrumental interlude mirrors the intro; the cycle continues from there, keeping a laser focus on the funk groove throughout.

Sure Fire Soul Ensemble | La Fachada

“If you are a fan of the organ (and we know you are), gritty funk, and beautiful original soundtracks, these guys are for you,” (Cole Mine Records). “The SFSE is a heavy, original, instrumental soul band based out of San Diego, CA that released their debut self-titled album on Colemine Records in June of 2015.”

“The Sure Fire Soul Ensemble rock an instrumental style of soul and funk with a long history, drawing upon contemporaries like Budos Band and El Michels Affair, then going back through a lineage that includes Poets of Rhythm, The Meters, and The Bar-Kays … It’s a gritty and raw style of funk …” (Scratched Vinyl). “SFSE is a large group, with three percussionists, three horn players, keyboards, bass, guitar, and drums, which gives them a nice full sound. Of course, it only makes sense to rock a group this big if you can be tight enough to make it worth it … SFSE lay(s) down grooves that will have you bobbing your head and making stank face …”

The SFSE’s 2022 track “La Fachada” begins in Bb minor, shifts to a strings tremolo feature section in Gb major at 0:28, and then drops into a horns-driven section built on a spicy Cb augmented chord at 0:50. These sections alternate until a bridge section in C major appears (1:59 – 2:20) before returning to the regular rotation.

Third Reprise | Somewhere That’s Green (from “Little Shop of Horrors” feat. Sarah Hyland + Andrew Barth Feldman)

Third Reprise, a band founded by Daniel Rudin to cover musical theatre showtunes, recently released a funk arrangement of “Somewhere That’s Green” from the 1986 musical Little Shop of Horrors by Alan Menken and Howard Ashman. “The key to Third Reprise’s early success,” the group’s website says, “has been pairing the virtuosic, luminous artistry of the best singers and instrumentalists in NYC with a highly specific body of songs that mean a lot to people, while never losing the joy and sense of humor that’s core to the concept of a musical theater cover band.”

Sarah Hyland and Andrew Barth Feldman are currently playing the leads in a revival of the show running Off-Broadway in New York. The track starts in C and shifts up to Eb for the second verse at 0:40. There is another modulation up a step to F at 1:32.

Vulfpeck | Business Casual (feat. Coco O.)

Vulfpeck is a Michigan-based funk band that has released 10 albums and embarked on three tours. The group, comprised of Joe Dart, Woody Goss, Theo Katzman and Jack Stratton, headlined a sold out concert at Madison Square Garden in 2019, becoming one of the first bands to do so without the backing of a major label or manager.

“Business Casual” is the seventh track on their 2017 album Mr. Finish Line, and features the Danish singer Coco O. It begins in Db and smoothly slides up to D at 2:02.

Wendy + Lisa | Honeymoon Express

“Wendy Melvoin and Lisa Coleman are an Emmy Award winning musical composing duo based in Los Angeles,” (WendyAndLisa.com). “They both started their careers in one of the most successful rock bands of the 80s, Prince & the Revolution. They continued to work as a duo and released five original albums as well as pursuing a career path in scoring feature films and television. Since 1995’s box office hit Dangerous Minds, Wendy & Lisa have set a successful track record scoring films such as Soul Food, Something New, television series’ Crossing Jordan, Nurse Jackie, Mercy, and the Emmy-nominated NBC series Heroes, Touch, No Tomorrow, and Shades of Blue.

Apart from their composing career, Wendy & Lisa are often sought out for their song writing and collaboration skills. They have collaborated on albums with Joni Mitchell, Sheryl Crow, Eric Clapton, Neil Finn, Seal, and Grace Jones, to name a few.” The now-defunct publication Music + Media described the duo: “(they) remain heavily influenced by Prince … (proving) that not only can they stand on their own two feet, but also how important they are to Prince’s Revolution.”

“Honeymoon Express” was a single from the duo’s 1987 debut album Wendy + Lisa, which cracked the top 100 album charts in the US, the UK, and Holland. The track, a funk-infused romp that clearly shows the influence of The Purple One, depends almost entirely on its compelling groove, syncopated Prince-esque keyboard hooks (most noticeable at 0:18 and 2:14) and roving melodic sensibility, as its harmonic vocabulary is quite limited! The intro and verse are built in E dorian; the pre-chorus lifts up to G dorian (0:45), returning us to E dorian for the chorus at 1:03. The pattern continues from there.

Jamiroquai | Two Completely Different Things

“There was a time when you could rarely set foot in a public place without being reminded of the omnipresence of UK funk-pop sensation Jamiroquai,” (abc.net.au). “The band, led by constantly behatted frontman Jay Kay, were a dominant force in the music of the late-90s and early-2000s, their blend of acid jazz, funk, disco and house a constant on radio, in nightclubs, at cafes and parties the world over.”

“… You can’t shake the feeling that pop is a giant feedback loop, in which Stevie Wonder and Curtis Mayfield begat Jamiroquai and Pharrell, and the influence of Jamiroquai must have fed, consciously or subconsciously, into the aural landscapes of both Daft Punk and Pharrell.” (HeyMusicOfficial).

The intro of 2010’s “Two Completely Different Things” alternates between D major and D minor. At 0:23, the verse shifts into F major, remaining there for the chorus. 1:06 – 1:17 brings an interlude which echoes the intro (D major and minor). The pattern continues throughout.