darkshade
WOW! If you'd thought the last album was good, wait until you get a load of this. It took 6 years for "Rage!" to come out after the last album, but man, it was worth it. The sound is better and the rhythms are tighter (which I thought would be impossible). It's like the band is hungry to give us the best funk-jazz album.
This album is a funk onslaught!
The opening track is like this grande opening, you just know the band is going to lay it down. And they do. Every single song is funkier than the last, and I am not just saying that. It's like the first 2 songs are a warm up for the rest of the album, songs like King of the Burgs and Need To Understand keep the energy level going, with some feel-good tunes for that funky drive to the beach. But then you have songs like The Last Suppit; think Tower of Power's funky songs, but with an aggressive edge, and finger-lickin' good guitar playing. Relax is not what the title infers, this one is also a hot fire slice of funk, with a dash of hip-hop agressiveness thrown in for good measure.
Nigel Hall guests on keys and vocals on Makin' My Way Back Home, and while his voice is great, it is unfortunately the weakest track here, but the weakest among some of the tightest funk ever made is a compliment. The band also have the token cover of Curtis Mayfield's Move On Up, and while the band definitely do the song justice, they only do the "song" and don't go into the percussion break and big sax jam from the original, but still keeps the energy going, and is nicely done.
This album is absolutely essential to any jazz-funk fan, or funk fan in general. All the Lettuce albums are essential, but Rage! is the best one, in my opinion. It just hits all the right nerves for that funky good time you're craving. Sometimes you want some new funk to listen to besides the greats of the 60s and 70s; but not imitators. That's where Lettuce comes in, they keep the tradition of funk alive, but keeping it up with the 21st century, and moving the genre forward. Get... This... Album... and... RAGE!