The Kings of Funk Reign Supreme
Scott D. Gribble | Baltimore MD | 04/20/2005
(4 out of 5 stars)
"The second installment of BBE's "Kings Of..." series is a fine piece of work. It compares in a lot of ways to Keb Darge's "Funk Spectrum Series". Similarly the album's tracks are split up between Darge and a legendary guest. The songs are always hard to find obscurities that never really got much play when they were released. He's a certified perfectionist when it comes to digging up "lost" tracks - just check his track record on Amazon.
In the past Darge has teamed up with renowned crate-diggers/producers DJ Shadow and Pete Rock. For "Kings Of Funk" Darge shares the spotlight with the RZA, who is known for his use of uncommon samples from both music and films in his Hip-Hop productions. While the average music fan might not associate RZA for his crate digging abilities and more so for his involvement in the Wu-Tang Clan, any true head has known he's got a phenomenal ear for music. His sampling skills involve tracks so rare and implicit that they become almost unrecognizable amidst the full production.
All right, enough about their credentials... without a doubt this is an excellent collection of tracks, mostly thanks to the RZA's selections. RZA's disc (the first one) might be the best out of any in the "Funk Spectrum" series or for that matter any funk/soul compilations in the BEE catalogue. Of his 40 mins of funk, 95% is outstanding. Hank Ballard's "From the Love Side" gets the album off to a funky James Brown esq. kick-start. RZA's disc contains four incredible instrumentals: "Jasper Country Men", "Ain't No Sunshine", "Climax", and the 8 min epic "Melting Pot". The latter two are definitely the best, just straight up funky jam sessions. Ken Boothe shows some reggae/funk that Bob Marely would be proud of on "Because I'm Black". A live version of Lyn Collins' "Do Your Thing" is simply powerful (blowing the more familiar Isaac Hayes version out of the water!). Ann Peebles brings it all to a tremendous close on a track that's just laced with famous hip-hop samples (I recognize the guitar part in particular, but I'm still trying to figure out from where, I'll put it up soon).
Really the only fault is Sly & The Family Stone's "Small Talk", mostly because it suffers from a loud crying baby throughout its entirety. But, that small misstep aside, the RZA's disc is a perfect collection of rare funk tracks.
(Note: The track listing above is incorrect. Neither Jimmy Ponder's "While My Guitar" & the Ohio Players "Singing In The Morning" appear on either disc.)
Keb Darge's disc is pretty good. Most of the tracks on this disc fall in the middle of the road - laid back and chill. There aren't as many simply stunning stand out tracks like RZA's disc, but it serves its purpose quite nicely and is easily enjoyable. A few do make you stop and listen up. Sharon Jones's swagger hits the funky groove of "Genuine" to perfection. Zebra's "Simple Song" and MFSB's menacing "Family Affair" are two excellent instrumentals (excluding four lines in the former). The album also ends on two superb soulful jams "Will You Love My Child" and the memorable lyrics of Dee Edwards on "(I Can) Deal With That". The rest of the second disc is by no means weak, but to Keb's credit, he's been putting together collections for a number of years and has probably used his best offerings long ago. The remaining four, satisfy but aren't unforgettable.
BEE went the extra step and did a tremendous job with packaging "Kings of Funk". It has excellent liner notes, with full descriptions of the tracks as well as Keb's personal opinions on each. The two disc package costs as if it was only one. Both hip-hop sample heads and funk/soul fans will love this collection. So, you're probably running out of reasons not to get this album. Don't resist too much, cause it's one of the best collections of rare funk/soul tracks out there.
The RZA's Disc: (9.5/10)
Keb Darge's Disc: (8/10)
Overall Package: (9/10)"
Track Listings (12) - Disc #1