From Brooklyn, NY comes the heavily political and personal funky sound of the talented Charlie Funk. Acting as a wake-up call to the sleeping masses, Give Me A Groove is an album that quickly gets under your skin and grabs your complete attention.
Opening with the devious track Lunch In Babylon, this song takes its cue from that of Damian Marley and the legendary George Clinton. With a lethal lead guitar and Massive Attack beat, this track is one hell of a way to start an album, and it successfully hooks you in quickly.
It’s Not A Joke is strong in the funk force. Everything about the track is complimentary to each other. Charlie Funk’s smooth vocals are paired well with the soothing background vocals. The instruments are all played here in a very eccentric and exciting way, with a very interesting production value to it. The lyrics are a star player here, with a message that matters, especially with a world that currently seems to be sleeping through their days.
The title track Give Me A Groove is exactly what you would expect it be, a club track meant to get you moving, and for many, this track will definitely succeed in its mission. So far this is the fastest paced song on the album, and as such, this track shines a bright light on the type of music Charlie Funk is capable of giving us. The message is optimistic and fun, the production is spot on, and it deserves to be the title track of this interesting album.
The final song on the album, Sexy Cutie, is a bit campy for my tastes, but in the world of funk, this is pretty much a requirement for any album. As you would expect, this song drips with romantic intentions. Not much to say here about the lyrical content, but if you are in love with someone and feel the need to try to send that message across, this might be your song of choice.
All in all, Charlie Funk succeeds in his mission to give us an album worth listening to. There isn’t much here in the way of anything genre breaking, but that isn’t necessary when the music is as solid as this music is. If what you are looking for is a bit of soul in your music, and a bit of funk in your day, then this is a great album for you to listen to.
7/10
