Hot Funk In The Summertime Edition: Shirley Davis & The Silverbacks, Spacebomb House Band, Delvon Lamarr Organ Trio & The Expansions
By Aaron Stein Jul 18, 2018 • 11:33 am PDT
Shirley Davis & The Silverbacks: Wishes & Wants
Hot steamy days and rumbling thunderstorms … summer is the time to get funky. Here are some of my favorite under-the-radar boogie-down releases for your listening and dancing pleasure. First up is Shirley Davis & The Silverbacks and their newest album Wishes & Wants. Davis is a “soul diva” in the Sharon Jones mold with a world-hopping backstory (London to Australia to Spain) that finds her settling in with an excellent backing band and a record filled with plenty of grooves and plenty of smarts. Enjoy!
Spacebomb House Band: Library Music I: No Space High Enough & Library Music II: Temple Of Engine Room
If you’ve been paying attention to RecommNeds or great music in general over the past couple years you’re well aware that the Spacebomb label has been consistently putting out some of the best grooves there are. Matthew E. White and company have a secret weapon to help make those grooves a reality: a monster house band in the old school tradition. Now they’ve started putting out a Library Music series with instrumentals and little ‘tweener stuff that is the epitome of modern day funky. The Spacebomb House Band is two releases into this ongoing anthology, so a perfect time to get on that Richmond soul train.
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Delvon Lamarr Orgran Trio: Close But No Cigar
If you really want to go all-the-way old school funky, I think it best to go straight to the classic organ trio. While there are plenty of historical greats of the genre, the modern day has been blessed with a worthwhile up-and-comer in . His Seattle-based trio is ridiculously vintage groove on their newest release, Close But No Cigar. Check it out, but be forewarned, once you enter that pocket you will not want to leave.
The Expansions: Murmuration
Hope you saved the last dance … Not quite as throwback as the organ trio, The Expansions, a quartet out of London, still hearken back to an era of supreme funk. Somewhere between Herbie Hancock’s deep-groove heyday, disco and modern-day dance beats, the Murmuration release is a where-have-you-been-hiding!? revelation of guitar/key/bass/drum head bob. Seriously, this is some sweet shit, I think you’ll dig! Keep it funky, friends!
