Afrique --
Soul Makossa ...
new LP
A killer album of Afro Funk -- with a very unusual origin! In the wake of Manu Dibango's big hit (and some kind of failure to register the copyright), many many versions of "Soul Makossa" were recorded and released, some good, some bad. This album is a good example of that situation -- and also happens to be a killer bit of lost funk! The group's a studio combo that includes funky drummer Paul Humphrey, organist Charles Kynard, and guitarist David T Walker -- and they jam nicely along with other players in an excellent set of hard funky numbers. The record does include a version of "Soul Makossa" that's pretty great -- but the real highlights include the breakbeat classic "House Of The Rising Funk", apparently the same version of the track that was issued on a 45 under the name The Chubukos. Other nice ones include "Kissing My Love", "Hot Mud", "Get It", "Hot Doggin", and "Let Me Do My Thing". Mostly instrumental, apart from a few vocal choruses.