Disco de The Herbaliser: “Same As It Never Was”

So what exactly prompted The Herbaliser to release Same As It Never Was on the infamous Studio !K7? After all, their deep discography is tied almost exclusively to Ninja Tune [if anyone knows the answer, drop me a line]. Since 1995, Ollie Teeba and Jake Wherry have released five studio albums and two live mixes on Fabric (see my previous review of Fabric.26), not to mention a dozen singles, appearances and remixes. The group has also grown from an original duo into a full 5-piece band - you have to check out the amazing Session One album (Department H., 2000). Same As It Never Was indeed sounds a bit more funky, as the group is attempting to trace the hip-hop roots and bring back the elements of jazz, r&b, and soul. This time they are also joined by the London based "22-year soul diva" Jessica Darling - who lays her lovely voice so smoothly over the grooves - really brings back the fun of the 70s. The track Can't Help This Feeling will validate any doubts. NYC based Jean Grae (aka What? What?) returns with an excellent track, Street Karma (A Cautionary Tale) previously collaborating with The Herbaliser on Take London (Ninja Tune, 2005). Revitalizing the genre, The Herbaliser sparks a wave of nu-soul, if you will, across the continent. It would be a pleasure to watch them live. My typical artist cloud for The Herbaliser would include DJ Food, The Cinematic Orchestra, Funki Porcini, DJ Krush and Up, Bustle and Out.

The Herbaliser are a Jazz/Funk/Hip Hop duo from the UK, and listening to their new CD "Same as it never was" is like stepping back into the seventies to some Blaxploitation movie. Loads of horns, groovy basslines and funky beats.

Opening is the title track which is largely a funky instrumental with darting horns, organ and an incredible bassline. There are 3 other instrumentals; "The next spot" (with an almost Afrobeat feel), the awesome "Amores Bongo" (a delightful guitar/horn/percussion mix that sounds like it should be some movie soundtrack), and the more mellow "Blackwater drive".

Five songs feature vocalist Jessica Darling, "On your knees", "Can't help this feeling", "You're not all that", "Clap your hands" (these four are retro funk ditties James Brown/Sly & The Family Stone-style) and the sprawling 6 minute plus opus "Stranded on Earth" (a psychedelic sounding number with deep bass, Hip hop beats kicking in about 2 minutes in, and Jessica's few vocals coming in the final 2 minutes). This song is simply amazing!

There are a trio of Hip hop numbers "Just won't stop" features Yungun aka Essa, a Rap touching on the changes technology has brought to social life (Youtube, Myspace, etc). "Street karma (a cautionary tale)" is a midtempo rap with a creepy vibe, horns and sound effects (a car revving, kids playing, etc) adding to the drama. It features Jean Grae on vocals, and is a tale about the violent life on the streets. "Game set and match" features More or Les in a spitfire Rap delivery and some nice guitar effects.

I'm going to hunt down their other releases. This is simply superb!

I think these guys just take her as the permanent lead singer. Others are ok but some of the hip-hop artists that are in here (and I didn't call them rappers for a reason) are good but the songs that have Jessica at the mic just blow me away and leave no room for hip-hop. Those songs are freakin awesome! Like On Your Knees. That's my number one.

I have been interested in The Herbaliser for a couple of years, having been introduced to some of their intrumental tracks on internet radio stations. I could never bring myself to buy one of their CD's because, outside of these great intrumentals, the music is rap, and I don't like rap.

In this latest release, The Herbaliser is moving away from rap. There are only three rap tracks on the CD and they are bearable. The rest of the album is all excellent, with great instrumentals and vocal tracks.

The formula is an energetic and upbeat mix of hip-hop and funk, with a lot of inspiration/sampling from seventies film music and fifties big band sound.

Yes, this time I bought it. Highly recommended.

Here's hoping that for their next release, The Herbaliser ditches rap

completely, for a five-star rating