FFWD Weekly
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| CD REVIEW MACEO PARKER · Alto sax master of James Brown and P. Funk fame. · Started successful solo career in 1990. Despite a lousy CD cover with smoke pouring out of a saxophone (I don't care what you say... these things do matter), Funk Overload lives up to its promise. Parker and his band - which includes his son, Corey, rapping (albeit a little too often) - deliver honest, old-school funk once again. It would seem difficult for a studio album to live up to the notoriously high-energy shows Parker cranks out, but Funk Overload is fat with big beat rhythm, bright horns, and great gang shouting. You might be the only one listening, but the sax legend plays every song determined to keep the floor full of sweaty people. The band is tight and the songs are loose, giving room for his men to fly free and mighty on every groove. No one in the studio sounds like they're checking the clock - the band just plays on and on like they're (God forbid!) having a great time. Once again, Parker's sax is mean and rich with funk history. But the surprise here is how much his singing dominates the record. On Stevie Wonder's "Tell Me Something Good," Parker belts it out with such force and natural soul, it's easy to forgive him for putting down the horn so often. The only downside to Funk Overload is the way Parker's sound can occasionally steer close to the cartoony, Bill Cosby-like side of funk. But hell, the man is a true showman. We're just here to dance. 4/5 |