Papa Grows Funk is the New School of New Orleans Funk and Shakin' is the kind of album that codifies a band's place in history. Hai Douzo.

13 MP3 Songs
ROCK: Funk Rock, JAZZ: Jazz Fusion



Details:
Papa Grows Funk is a musical collective, but it was keyboardist/vocalist/songwriter John Gros who put this all star lineup together for a regular Monday residence at the Old Point Bar in Algiers back at the turn of the century. The band has grown in leaps and bounds over the ensuing two years. The new PGF album, Shakin', demonstrates the band's rapid development since the first album with 13 originals, all written to be played by this group of musicians. Shakin' ranks with the classic funk recordings in the New Orleans canon by the group's parent bands. Everybody contributed to the songwriting and arrangements. Batiste sets the tone with the churning "Mutha Funk Y'All," with its tart turnaround and catchy, chanted chorus. Batiste's compositional groove extends to "Say B'uh (I Jus' Playin')" and the pumping march "Soul Second Line," which has become a popular audience participation number. Mingledorff collaborated with Batiste on the album closer, "Big Wind," and brought the solid instrumental "Yakiniku" and "Sit On This" to the mix. Yamagishi wrote the guitaristic "Slinky Snake" and Marc Pero wrote "Fish-Eyed Fool."

Gros contributed several originals to the album, which features his vocals prominently. The inspirational "If I..." and "House of Love" feature lyrics by his older brother Ward Gros. "He has a collection of lyrics and poetry that he writes and I just go through 'em," said John, who wrote both music and lyrics for "Rat a Tang Tang," the song on the album that most quickly imprints itself on the listener. The stinging lyric with its sing-along chorus sounds like hit material. "Rat a tang tang gonna make me scream," sings Gros, "I'm done with Y.O.U."

Papa Grows Funk is the New School of New Orleans Funk and Shakin' is the kind of album that codifies a band's place in history. Hai Douzo!