The Budos Band – Burnt Offering
Daptone’s instrumental Budos Band made a conscious effort on their latest release to explore a different sound. Rather than make another run-of-the-mill Fela Kuti-inspired record, Burnt Offeringsees the band employing a harder groove. The drums are heavier, the guitars are a little trippier, and the horns bite a little harder. This album is also refreshingly concise. The group’s previous efforts tended to get overlong and repetitive. This new batch of songs are anchored by thumping bass lines, squalls of guitar, and dark, spiraling organs. There’s also an underlying menace to some of these songs. The psychedelic guitar even gets a little spooky, such as on “The Sticks,” which recalls Funkadelic’s Cosmic Slop. The guitar sounds are strikingly reminiscent of Eddie Shider, but there’s also some Hendrix influence as well, especially on “Aphasta.” “Shattered Winds” is one of the more accessible songs on this album, and sounds as if it came off the sountrack of a 1970s blaxsploitation film. “Trail of Tears” has some imposing Farfisa organ and swampy guitar that wouldn’t sound out of place on an early Dr. John record. “Tomahawk” features the album’s best bass line, and the track’s concluding crescendo might be my favorite moment on the album. “Magus Mountain” features the album’s best guitar riff, which sounds a bit like Baby Huey or early Sly & the Family Stone. While things drag a bit towards the middle of the album, most of the songs are distinct from one another, and the tempo changes and instrumental breaks all give nuance to each song. It’s an album that takes awhile to sink in, but if you let it get to you, it’s downright intoxicating.
RIYL: Funkadelic, Baby Huey & the Baby Sitters, afrobeat, psychedelic funk
DNP: None
Recommended Tracks: 2, 4, 9, 7, 1
Label: Daptone Records
Release: Sept. 30, 2014
Reviewed By Vince Meserko 9/27/14