For SESSION 2, The Herbaliser Band returns to the upbeat groove of "Mr. Chombee Has Flaw," replete with scratches and wild piano flailing, but it's "Geddim!" that piles on the funk. The shadowy "Another Mother," the slinky "Blackwater Drive," or the suggestions on Latin jazz on "Amores Bongo" shows them playing at other moods too, but they excel at the funk here, as with the almost archaic tones and steady bass of "Moon Sequence" (yes, despite the hackneyed samples). The horns on "Theme From Control Centre" reinforce this, but the slow, loping beats of "Stranded On Earth" do sound quite nice in its extended groove. Not as impressive as SESSION 1, which got many of the choice cuts from the back catalogue, but strong in its own right.
Attention fans of The Budos Band, The Keystones, Tommy Guerrero, Chris Joss, and The Beastie Boys - The Herbaliser has always been a strong contender for baddest contemporary funk band, but with their continuous stream of primarily vocal albums, this talent has been largely underrated.
Now, the lost and almost forgotten Herbaliser Band Session 1 can be purchased together with Session 2 in one unforgettably nasty package. It's a party in a box, albeit a fairly short party, but this can be fixed by supplementing it with the tunage from the musicians listed above.
All instrumental, all funk. Like Budos Band with a strong DJ influence, or Chris Joss with a more organic, live feel.
Get it. You'll love it. And no, it is not available in vinyl. But we can always hope...
