SOUNDS FROM ALL AROUND

Whitefield Brothers featuring Mr. Lif and Edan: The Gift + Taisho
From Earthology (Now Again, 2009)

Music just wouldn't be as fun without the Whitefield Brothers around. Sure, they aren't as well-known as they should be, but they consistently provide quality and they rarely stay in one place too long musically speaking.

We heard their take on thunderous funk in the mid-90s long before it was en vogue to do so. I'm talking pre-Numero and pre-Daptone. With as much respect I have for the Dap Kings, I'd still take “Augusta Georgia” and “Practice What You Preach” by the Whitefield gang in their multitude of band names over anything I've heard from SJ + DK. That's not to say SJ + DK don't deserve the praise they get; the WB just funk out even harder.

After a short stint with a little discofied funk as Syrup, they started going in a different direction with “In The Raw” on Soul Fire by adding more of an African tinge to their music. By 2008, they had advanced that sound even further with the Karl Hector And The Malcouns project. Now, we get their most diversified sound with “Earthology,” entitled so, at my best guess, as a study of the music from around the globe. This is true World Music.

Songs with an unfamiliar time signature like “Pamukkale” make sense within the frame of the album, although you might be thrown off if just heard by itself. The Eastern sounds of “Taisho” hit you right away before going off into a menacing bass groove. “Ntu” explores a variety of percussion, though not of your standard drum kit. Rap even makes its way on to the record by underground sensations Edan and Mr. Lif on “The Gift” over one of the more straightforward rhythms on the album.

It was interesting to note the copyright date on the back of my promo copy as 2008. While I don't know why it has set on shelf for so long (unless it the year was a misprint), it works well for continuing their legacy as well as that of Stones Throw/Now Again. The front cover calls it a World-Psych Masterpiece, a fitting description for an album that pulls its influences from all over. Left to lesser talent, both by the band and co-executive producer Egon, it might sound disjointed. Under their careful watch, though, we're treated to an exquisite album of sounds and textures. It's available digitally now from Stone's Throw online web store, and hits the racks in January everywhere else.