Doin' It/CD Review
by Walter Pierce • 24/7 Daily Advertiser • Lafayette, LA • August 3rd, 2001
In the world of funk, stinky is a good
thing. Doin’ It, the debut release from this bunch of New Orleans
all-star funksters, absolutely reeks.
Anchored by the grace note-heavy drumming of Russell Batiste (the funky
Meters, George Porter Jr.) and the bass playing of Marc Pero (Smilin’ Myron,
Func Haus) and driven by the ethereal wash of John Gros’ Hammond
B3, Papa Grows Funk is an exercise in low down dirty — grooves
that usher from the gut and strike the solar plexis like a wrecking ball.
Pewwee!
Buttressed by the guitar work of June Yamagishi (Wild Magnolias) – part
blues, part fusion, wholly mean-tempered (again, that’s good) – and
the saxophone of Galactic’s Jason Mingledorff, Doin’ It is
track after nasty, delicious track. This is what the Meters were back in
the ‘70s, without the corny major chords and Leo Nocentelli’s
dithering guitar explorations. Yamagishi’s guitar absolutely growls,
and Gros, also a member of George Porter Jr.’s Runnin’ Pardners,
provides deft organ work that is a perfect and perfectly smooth counterpoint
to Yamagishi’s blazing and charmingly rough-at-the-edges guitar
playing.
What’s wrong with this record? You can’t eat it!