CHUCK BROWN — Bustin' Loose (review)

CHUCK BROWN — Bustin' Loose album cover Album · 1979 · Funk Buy this album from MMA partners
3.5/5 ·
js
In 1979 disco ruled the RnB charts and there was very little funk to be found, then seemingly out of nowhere came Chuck Brown with the battle cry “I feel like bustin loose” ..bump ..bump ..“bustin loose”, for a moment the funk was back. Chuck didn’t really come from nowhere as he had been working out his musical vision in the clubs of Washington DC since the early 70s, inventing a new style of music called go-go. Go-go was a very stripped down form of funk that was often based around a persistent swing beat on the African double bell, or agogo, and featured percussion driven breakdowns in which Chuck would engage in rowdy call and response antics with the audience. It was fun participatory music that was much more funky than anything disco.

“Bustin Loose”, opens with the title track and lets everyone know right off that Chuck and his Soul Searchers are taking no shorts. The opening Larry Young style space chords on the B3 let you know this is no disco, Chuck starts his rap and then its “give me the bridge yawl, give me the bridge yawl” and the JB style horn riffs kick in driven by a heavy thumpin bass. Towards the end of the song, LeRoy Fleming fires up a jazz solo on the sax, music like this had not been heard on the radio in a while. The follow up track, “Never gonna give You Up”, is a beautiful lush ballad in a very melodic style not heard on the radio since the classic Philly days of the early to mid-70s. Not only had disco subverted good funky dance music, but the art of the well written ballad had also suffered. Side one closes out with the fierce driving funk jazz of “If it aint Funky” that features an infectious atonal guitar riff and horn solos for everyone.

Side two continues with similar material including a dance floor thumper, another ballad, one more funk jazz instrumental and a hot Latin groove called “Berro e Sombaro” to close things out. “Bustin Loose” was one of the best funk records of the late 70s and it still sounds great today.
Share this review
more

Review Comments

Post a public comment below | Send private message to the reviewer
Please login to post a shout
No shouts posted yet. Be the first member to do so above!

Review Index

Member Zone

Username:
Password:
Stay signed in

Jazz Subgenres

Artists Alpha-index

JMA TOP 5 Jazz ALBUMS

Rating by members, ranked by custom algorithm
Albums with 30 ratings and more
A Love Supreme Post Bop
JOHN COLTRANE
Buy this album from our partners
Kind of Blue Cool Jazz
MILES DAVIS
Buy this album from our partners
The Black Saint and the Sinner Lady Progressive Big Band
CHARLES MINGUS
Buy this album from our partners
Blue Train Hard Bop
JOHN COLTRANE
Buy this album from our partners
My Favorite Things Hard Bop
JOHN COLTRANE
Buy this album from our partners

New Jazz Artists

New Jazz Releases

The Vinny Golia Quintet 2024 : Almasty Avant-Garde Jazz
VINNY GOLIA
Buy this album from MMA partners
Anaconga RnB
CITRUS SUN
Buy this album from MMA partners
Shoot For The Moon Pop/Art Song/Folk
DAVINA AND THE VAGABONDS
Buy this album from MMA partners
Timeless Post-Fusion Contemporary
DAVID BENOIT
Buy this album from MMA partners
Nothing Pop/Art Song/Folk
LOUIS COLE
Buy this album from MMA partners
More new releases

New Jazz Online Videos

Songs My Mom Liked EPK - Anthony Branker
ANTHONY BRANKER
js· 5 hours ago
“INFLUENCES” by Jared Hall, trumpeter & composer
JARED HALL
js· 5 hours ago
Jean-Pierre (feat. Darryl Jones)
BILL EVANS (SAX)
snobb· 16 hours ago
Magic Box
CHRISTOPHE MARGUET
snobb· 16 hours ago
The Peacocks
ANTOINE DRYE
js· 22 hours ago
More videos

New JMA Jazz Forum Topics

More in the forums

New Site interactions

More...

Latest Jazz News

members-submitted

More in the forums

Social Media

Follow us
Follow us on Twitter Become a Facebook fan RSS Feed