2019 – Schnitzel Records
By Phillip Smith; Dec. 3, 2019
My appreciation for funk goes back to the late Seventies, when I first discovered Funkadelic’s One Nation Under a Groove. Soon afterward, the rabbit hole opened wide, and I became a humongous fan of everything George Clinton had anything to do with. Let’s just say I bought every album I could find by any of the P-Funk crew.
There’s a new funk band on the scene and the name is Solid Bronze. Hailing from the Trenton, New Jersey area, this band forged by vocalist/multi-instrumentalist Ian Everett and drummer/percussionist George Miller, proves their passion for the genre is strong and real. Their debut album The Fruit Basket is fabulously funky. Produced by Mickey Melchiondio (aka Dean Ween) this ten-track recording features guests Michael “Kid Funkadelic” Hampton , Dana Colley (Morphine), Glenn McClelland (Ween), Christopher “C-Lew” Lewis, and Chris Harford (Band of Changes).
Government secrets are the topic in “Papa’s Bug”, a delightfully jammin’ tune with that Funkadelic vibe. Everett keeps the synth fresh and playful, while Hampton piles it high with fabulous, furry guitar. More of Hampton’s finesse appears on “Invisible Man” creating a heavy dose of deep funk, reminiscent of Eddie Hazel. C-Lew takes charge on vocals, fortified with auto-tune, contributing to the cosmic and spacy atmosphere. I love the chill and airy jazz instrumental of “Bronze Magic”. Colley’s sax performance ties it all together. “Mumbo Jumbo”, another instrumental baptized in a jazz-funk fusion brings Melchiondio, Harford, and Hampton together on guitar with Colley on sax for a stellar six-minute jam. I love the trance-funk selection “Like That Ol’ Saying Goes”, capping the album off. I easily get lost in its buttery hypnotic rhythm.
The Fruit Basket is about as authentic as one can get when it comes to funk. It’s plumb terrific. Solid Bronze is definitely a band to keep an eye on. I definitely want to hear more from these guys.
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For more information about the artist, visit this website : https://www.solidbronzeband.com/
