"Curse those handsome devils!" Bart Simpson once said. Listening to this album, I can't help but echo the sentiment, except I direct it towards James Brown, Sly Stone, George Clinton and Prince. Those four artists are arguably the faces that would make it to a Mount Funkmore, guys with personalities so big that no five minute single can contain them. So when someone like Robert Randolph comes along, sometimes it can't help but feel flat. Randolph is an absolutely incredibly Pedal Steel player; his lead lines on this album are absolutely electrifying. And yet, it feels undistinguished. No matter how loose and fun it is, Unclassified never feels quite as great as the playing is. It is passionate, though, with the single "I Need More Love" being a classic rave-up. "Soul Refreshing" is a lovely burst of melody. There is one thing they do better than the masters, though: they have a better sense of songcraft. This isn't funk driven by 20-minute jams; these are songs, none longer than five minutes. Maybe that's enough to set them apart.
No comments:
Post a Comment