Review

Soul Immigrants: Blame It On The End Game (Burning Sole)

Fellow B&S scribe and reviewer Emrys Baird puts his head above the parapet as the sides change with the hunter now becoming the prey.

However, he gets to live another day and fair play to him, his long-standing band The Soul Immigrants have assembled some sonic jazz funk magic which shoots straight from the hip on this explosive offering.

Granted, it’s not innovative but, you can’t fault the execution and consummate musicianship that’s on offer on this track. This is precisely why the uber-cool swiss label Burning Sole is behind it. Dark and moody lyrics filled with sly cynicism are met with tough interlocking rhythms. A busy bassline burrowing away like some crazy mole takes control before it breaks into some obligatory slap in the middle section.

However, the star of the show is the unbelievably fluent flute playing. It bobs, weaves and darts around the vocal like a woodwind ninja - the sort of thing Herbie Mann used to do during his classic days at Verve.

This track definitely veers towards US jazz funk with its falsetto outpourings towards Curtis and the beautifully layered blaxploitation-type coda (slow burning like their last single which featured Fred Wesley) and the cheeky nod to Lonnie Liston Smith in one of the guitar lines will raise a few smiles.

The B-side is worth a tumble too, as it is plain to see, these ebullient Brit funkateers are no one trick ponies. It’s firmly rooted in ’60s & 70’s deep funk. The band wear their influences heavily on their sleeve merging The Mohawks with The Meters and The MG’s coming up with an upbeat celebratory and thoroughly retro affair - it's pure filthy Funk fodder, plain and simple. Please sir, can I have some more?
Words LEO ISAACS