This the brainchild of drummer and bassist Tal Bergman, and Ron De Jesus who wanted to expand on the Groove project they had together. Bergman was in Bonamassa’s band at the time, and he loves these collaborations – so a band was born. Add Prince’s keyboard player, Renata Neto, and this band is looking killer. The band is a groove machine Live, as the Blu Ray Live At The Iridium showcases. This album and the two previous recordings are a funk lovers paradise, as the band have explored different facets of the genre over the three albums. It’s mostly instrumental with only a couple of tracks with vocals – my type of album!!!
The first two tracks have that New Orleans feel to them as the titles suggest, Gothic Orleans and Drunk On Bourbon On Bourbon Street. Third track in, In The Groove, is just fantastic, some serious grooves and playing by Neto on the Fender Rhodes, and Bonamassa on the guitar. Don’t Even Try It is the first track with vocals and has a Prince vibe to it. The very slow funk/jazz of Two Guys And Stanley Kubrick Walk Into A Bar is showing how to experiment and shows something new in a genre that’s not changed for over twenty years. Isle Of Wright Brothers is just a short interlude, before Mr. Space slaps you back to funky town and is another killer funk groove experience. It reminds me of a soundtrack to one of those cheap American cop shows of the seventies. I Got The Feelin’ is next and you should dust off those dancing shoes as the spirit of James Brown is in the house. After Hours follows, and again, slows the pace right down with that deep funky bass line. This Tune Should Run For President has that seventies fusion vibe to it, and another great track rolls on by. Bergman gets to do a crazy drum solo piece next and we’re on to side 4.
The heavy groove of Funk-O-Potamia kicks off the final side, and great playing from everybody here. The Token Ballad is the penultimate track and is most definitely not! It’s probably the heaviest track on the album. I see what you did there! Last track, Ping Pong, is almost a trad jazz piece and sounds as though everyone is having a blast. I really like this album and the two others they did previously. If you have groove in your soul, then this is most definitely for you.
9/10 from The Grooveman.
