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SPLENDIDZINE.COM
CD REVIEW - Monster For The Masses
In the tradition of Parliament-Funkadelic, this New Orleans outfit loads up the stage with musicians and then proceeds to kick your ass. On this, their debut album, they lay down nine super, sweaty, sexy jams. Everywhere you turn, there are things to delight the ear; this is music that speaks to the hips and sedates the mind with endorphins. "Layers" lives up to its name by piling guitar riffs, horn breaks, organ solos and a jumping backbeat on top of one another until there's nothing left to do but throw your hands in the air for joy. The song's main refrain has the same suave swank of the Charlie's Angels theme song (the original show, not the sorry remake), with an extra dash of sex from a wah-wah porno guitar. "The Obstacle Course" builds up again and again into a gigantic, lumbering refrain that sucks you in. The structure of this number is particularly interesting, because the main theme is almost like a flag that the musicians take turns holding aloft while others play around it. As such, someone is always soloing, which is an interesting contrast to the typical format, in which solos are reserved for particular sections of a piece.
In addition to their fine instrumentals, the band keeps things exciting by tossing in vocals on "Curiosity". This track is a particular winner, combining absolute rump-shaking funk with tongue-in-cheek soul vocals -- a heady combination that brings Fishbone's classic work to mind. In fact, with the combination of rock and funk, Fishbone is probably the closest comparison. What that comparison misses, however, is the jazz that flows through Afroskull's veins, bringing them closer to fellow Big Easy residents Galactic.
Throughout Monster for the Masses, the solos are lively and fully in sync with the rest of the band. None of these solos are particularly experimental, but with grooves this fun, why bother? This is a well done album that should come with a warning label: "Do Not Play Unless You Have Room to Move".
-Ron Davies