| ROLLING STONE MARCH 14, 2002 | Previous Page The Funky 16 Corners Unearthed soul-funk killers from the late Sixties and early SeventiesA
FORMER INDIANAPOLIS HIGH school jazz band led by a Ford Motor Co. employee
with a James Brown soul yelp; a Los Angeles community activst whose positive
raps presage the Native Tongue crew by two decades; a South Carolina trombonist
who backed up Diana Ross and the Temptations and can give Fred Wesley
a run for his money. These are just a few of the performers you'll find
in this compilation of overlooked soul-funk artifacts from the late Sixties
and early Seventies. The tracks on The Funky 16 Corners were excavated
by producer Egon and his partner, Peanut Butter Wolf, the head of the
underground hip-hop label Stones Throw Records, after the two set out
on a cross-country pilgrimage to meet these sixteen undiscovered funkateers.
The influences on these twenty-two tracks are obvious (Billy Ball and
the Upsetters' "Tighten Up Tighter" is the somewhat unnecessary
sequel to Archie Bell and the Drells' "Tighten Up"; the James
Brown references are all over the album), but they all stay relentlessly
in the pocket. 16 Corners is a victory for everyone looking to preserve
America's precious funk resources. |