So, this was the winner for Best Pop Instrumental Album this year! We've finally hit it! Had to happen eventually, right?
This guy has already got the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Academy - yeah, he's that good. Maybe that has something to do with the award, or not, who knows how the politics all shake down anymore. That's still damn impressive.
Oh, and a quick note on the backing band: Questlove, Kirk Douglas, Owen Biddle (The Roots), Dennis Coffey (Motown) and Stewart Killen.
Trail it on Spotify and rock with me people. Let's do this.
Nice, a little funk beat to get us going. Some cool organ going on, playing in a way that sounds completely unplanned. "Walking Papers" is a pretty sweet instrumental track to kick things off with. There's lots going on, but not so much you can't concentrate at all. The song's a jam session.
"Crazy" is an instrumental cover of Gnarls Barkley's hit from a few years back. It's pretty good, though the main melody playing is... okay, to be honest, it sounds like a weird karaoke track that you'd hear in a really low-scale bar for someone to sing along. Only thing it that it's a little sped up for the sake of the instrumentalists getting to work together in such a fashion.
Yim Yames from My Morning Jacket comes in for the next track, "Progress." No fair Booker, the others didn't have guest vocalists to enhance their album. Anywhos, this one's pretty good. I'm digging that electric organ less and less as we go on, but the vocals here really help it out a lot. Here's a nifty little video for this one:
"Down In Memphis" is everything a good southern soul and funk song should be. Booker takes on some vocals this time, and his voice is perfection. The verses are drawing and charged with the story, while the chorus makes you rock with understanding. Ah, so good my friends, so good.
Nice! So, Lauryn Hill, this fantastic bluesy soul singer who was with The Fugees a few years ago, wrote a song that made a big splash - "Everything Is Everything." Here we get a Jones-esq rendition of it, sadly all instrumental. If you get a sec, check it out in its original form. Here, it's okay, but not the same. Lauryn always had some sweet words to share, so it's missing a crucial element here.
"Representing Memphis" comes on in with vocals by Matt Berninger and my girl Sharon Jones, who just can't seem to stay away from my blog these days. It's cool lady, we'll take yah. The song has a great rhythm to it, just making you wish you were from the town. The only downside to my ears is when the rhythms speeds to scat those words a little faster. It's still a really awesome song, that just took me out of the moment a little bit. It's like telling an actor not to break character.
Almost got lost doing some other things during "The Vamp." The music speaks the name very well. I was digging just being into it until the scratching of the keys there. I thought I had a CD in for a sec and that it was skipping, or that my Internet was really having some issues and glitch-ing. But no, it's just a weird use of a sometimes annoying instrument.
"Harlem House" is back to some bass funk runs. Gah, and there's that scratch sound again. It's only for a second, but enough to knock me out of my funk, and not in a good way. Ugh, I hate to be shaken out of it. Now I want out of the song.
Mmmm, nice blues feel to the final song on the main album, vocally led by Lou Reed, "The Bronx." This could be a great ad song to use. I would check out the borough more often if this was the way they advertised it. Of course, I plan to try to be there more often come baseball season (go Yankees!). Really a nice fit to the album in a much different way. Good things happening in that studio man.
Oh. My. GOD. YES - THIS IS HAPPENING!! Booker T. Jones re-did "Just A Friend" as one of the bonus tracks, and it includes Matt Berninger, Sharon Jones, AND BIZ MARKIE!!! It's awesome. It's still hilarious. And yes, I've included the video. Ah, there's a whole chorus of voices on the chorus. Whoops... turned it up too loud for my roommate. Sorry Jackie. :(
"Regulation Time" does sound like the most pre-put-together song, but maintains some of the looseness that's made the others sound so very good. It's a good play out for the whole thing, and brings together the final elements of the band that make the album complete.
Added to My Playlist:
- "Walking Papers"
- "Down In Memphis"
- "Rent Party"
- "The Bronx"
- "Regulation Time"
Ahhh such good times today. Okay Booker, you earned yet another award man. You put together a great group that made this whole endeavor seem effortless. Just good times all around.
And I think I mentioned sports more times in this than I have in my blog the entire time it's been in existence.