Tag: Funk
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Eddie Murphy ‘How Could It Be’ (1985)
Eddie Murphy’s fearless stand-up, unforgettable Saturday Night Live sketches, and his ability to bring humor, charm, and swagger to every role he played is infamous. But not many people have any idea Eddie Murphy was actually a pretty damn solid musician as well. And in 1985 at the height of his fame as one of…
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Rick James ‘Street Songs’ (1981)
When Street Songs dropped in 1981 Rick James was already a star but Dave Chappelle’s infamous “I’m Rick James, bitch!” skit two decades later reanimated the album for a whole new generation. Suddenly millennials like me who hadn’t been alive when “Super Freak” topped charts were quoting James while laughing our ass off in our…
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Chromeo ‘Fancy Footwork’ (2007)
Electro-funk is pretty fun, especially when it’s made by a bunch of nerdy Canadians, which makes Chromeo’s 2007 album Fancy Footwork a pretty fun listen. This is kind of what I expect modern day AI music will eventually sound like once it becomes sentient and free to create on its own. Standout Songs: “Fancy Footwork”,…
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The Sugarhill Gang ‘The Sugarhill Gang’ (1980)
The Sugarhill Gang’s self-titled debut from 1980 is basically considered the first full-length hip hop studio album, which makes it a pretty awesome historical landmark. Anchored by the song “Rapper’s Delight” which had been released a year prior as a single, The Sugarhill Gang proved rap’s mainstream potential and effectively marked the moment rap moved…
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Commodores ‘Commodores’ (1977)
“That’s why I’m easy, easy like Sunday morning” is a vocal line that lives in my head rent free (and probably yours as well). To say it’s an iconic song is probably an understatement. It’s pretty much the defining song on any Sunday morning playlist anyone (including myself) have put together since March 30, 1977.…
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Wild Cherry ‘Wild Cherry’ (1976)
If you’ve ever turned on a radio in your life you’ve no doubt heard Wild Cherry’s claim to fame “Play That Funky Music”. It’s an absolute heater of a track that describes a real-life challenges the band had in adapting to the disco era. Wild Cherry actually a hard rock cover band early in their…
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Prince ‘For You’ (1978)
A year and a half ago we covered Prince’s impact on pop music when we wrote about his masterpiece Purple Rain, one of my favorite albums of all-time that captured the magic of Prince when he was at his creative and commercial peak. Today we throw it back to his debut album that was released…
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The Fearless Flyers ‘IV’ (2024)
If you’re into funky, clean guitar work, locked-in grooves and serious musicianship without any pretension, The Fearless Flyers are the band for you. They’re essentially a spin-off of Vulfpeck, comprised of Cory Wong, Mark Lettieri, Joe Dart, and Nate Smith, and take a stripped down no-frills approach to funk music. I would say they’re defined…
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The Magic Beans ‘Casino Cabaret’ (2018)
The Magic Beans’ Casino Cabaret is a genre-blending shot of adrenaline that feels like a late-night celebration at the crossroads of funk, big band flair, and irresistible pop hooks. The album exudes a vibrant energy, with funky basslines and shimmering keyboards that transport listeners to a dazzling dance floor where every groove is a jackpot.…
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The Whispers ‘Love For Love’ (1982)
One of my favorite guilty pleasures is over-produced and opulent R&B from the 80’s that blends smooth jazz with the upbeat funk that took great inspiration from albums like Parliament’s 1975 magnum opus Mothership Connection and went on to inspire one of the greatest contemporary pop funk albums in Bruno Mars’ 24K Magic. The Whispers…
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Red Hot Chili Peppers ‘Californication’ (1999)
Is there a song that’s skippable on Californication? That’s the question I posed to a friend of mine in the midst of injecting the Red Hot Chili Peppers magnum opus into my veins over this past Memorial Day weekend. Out of all the top-end albums in the Peppers discography, from Stadium Arcadium to Unlimited Love…
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Redbone ‘Wovoka’ (1973)
Redbone’s absolute smash single “Come and Get Your Love” was notable for a variety of reasons– the incredible groove, orchestral hooks, and iconic chorus that sounds like it was sung from the heavens. It also was the first Native American song to crack the Top Five of the Billboard Top 100 (peaking at #5 in…
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Jaco Pastorius ‘Jaco Pastorius’ (1975)
Jaco Pastorius is the living embodiment of spontaneous combustion, an artist who rose to massive prominence in the 1970’s backed by his prodigious bass playing capabilities before flaming out spectacularly under the weight of mental issues brought on by massive drug use in the 80’s which led to homelessness and a drug-induced bar fight that…
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Parcels ‘Parcels’ (2018)
The true magic of Parcels is their obsession of seemingly endless repetition that still finds a way to surprise you in the midst of its relative monotony. The candy-coated pop hooks that loop endlessly for three and a half minutes, stacked with instrumental and vocal accoutrement that enhance the flavor of the song with each…
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War ‘Why Can’t We Be Friends?’ (1975)
War mixed R&B, funk, jazz, Latin, psychedelia, and reggae music all together in a melting pot that reflected the background of the musicians that comprised the multi-ethnic band, forging one of the more progressive soul groups of the 70’s in the process. Their 1975 album Why Can’t We Be Friends? is a viable walk down…
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Toto ‘Toto IV’ (1982)
Toto is one of those yacht rock bands from the 70’s that seemingly tried everything under the sun sonically. They rolled up their favorite components of genres ranging from funk, pop, rock, soul, prog-rock, jazz, and the blues, stitched them together with expert musicianship, and slapped a sweet sheen of production prowess on top that…
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Sly & The Family Stone ‘There’s A Riot Goin’ On’ (1971)
There’s A Riot Goin’ On marked a relatively significant departure for Sly & The Family Stone, with the band deviating from the upbeat and joyous funk sound they were known for to explore a more serious and political record. This was due in part to lead singer and frontman Sly Stone’s increased involvement with the…
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Prince ‘Purple Rain’ (1984)
No artist impacted the sound of the pop music in the 80’s more than Prince. His unique blend of virtuoso musicianship (his guitar solo on “While My Guitar Gently Weeps” in 2004 is an absolute masterclass), unrivaled instinct for unique harmonic elements, and prolific writing capabilities that saw him release forty studio albums during his…
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Grover Washington Jr. ‘Mister Magic’ (1974)
As a kid one of my fondest memories was going on trips with my parents during the weekend to local record stores to purchase albums. These of course were the halcyon days when an experience like going on a Saturday drive with your father to Fry’s Electronics (a local big-box store that had an incredibly…
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Goose ‘Dripfield’ (2022)
It’s rare that a jam band can translate what makes them special throughout the course of an entire studio album. There’s something that is indelible about witnessing a live performance from a band like Goose or Grateful Dead that transcends the experience of listening of music through headphones– the buzz of spontaneity that permeates the…
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Minutemen ‘Double Nickels on the Dime’ (1984)
Double Nickels on the Dime is a massive album comprised of 45 songs. Yes, you read that correctly. And as you’d expect with such a prolific output it covers a wide range of influences from hardcore punk to jazz to funk. The best way I can describe them to people unfamiliar with their material is…
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Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings ‘Soul of a Woman’ (2017)
The youngest of six children, Sharon Jones was an American soul singer from Brooklyn. Throughout her life she spent a lot of time in the gospel choir at church and did some session work for various artists but never gained any real traction in her music career, leading her to jobs like serving as a…
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Mr. Jukes ‘God First’ (2017)
Inspired by a trip around the world that began with a two-week stay in the hold of a cargo ship (yes, really), Jack Steadman delights in his debut album God First. After a mutual hiatus of his longtime band, the Bombay Bicycle Club frontman Steadman the festival-anthem indie rock focus and tapped into the classic…
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Vulfpeck ‘The Beautiful Game’ (2016)
A throwback to the early era of funk with massive rhythm sections, Vulfpeck is a concept band that plays with the idea of what a German band would sound like if they did a rendition of American funk music. It’s a vibe. Vulfpeck first rose to prominence in 2014 with Sleepify, an album with 10…
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Kool & The Gang ‘Celebrate!’ (1980)
Celebrate! marked the end of Kool & The Gang’s hipness as the band transitioned from ultra-smooth funk practitioners to the radio-friendly R&B disco group that shot to the top of the charts with this platinum selling album. Artistic bonafides aside it’s hard to argue with the results– lead single “Celebration” was a smash hit, and…
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Parliament ‘Mothership Connection’ (1975)
Welcome to the funk. With a loose and fun as hell mythology surrounding interstellar travel, spaceships, Thumpasorus people, and the ever-healing powers of the funk, 1975’s Mothership Connection is a concept album whose sole concept is to get your butt out of your seat and dance. I can sign up for that. I was first…
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Bruno Mars ’24K Magic’ (2016)
If this album doesn’t make you want to get up out of your seat, throw your hands in the air, and bust out dancing you’ve lost an appreciation for things that make life worth living. I’m serious. If you don’t smile at least once while listening to the album we can’t be friends. 24K Magic…
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Beastie Boys ‘Paul’s Boutique’ (1989)
Beastie Boys cover immense sonic ground in their 1989 sophomore effort. It’s a record that celebrates abrupt dynamic shifts, sampling a grand total of 105 (!!!) songs plucked from a massive grab bag of funk, prog, punk, and rock influences. You have what sounds like a MIDI keyboard played underwater in “Car Thief” as well…
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