Search - Various Artists :: Saturday Night Fish Fry

Once more, with feelin'

Derrick A. Smith | USA | 08/26/2001

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Owners of the previous set in SoulJazz Records' series of New Orleans releases (New Orleans Funk) will notice the slight alteration in the subtitle of this second volume: "New Orleans Funk and SOUL." This change is reflected in the inclusion of such artists as Irma Thomas and Betty Harris, whose funk inclinations were mainly confined to the rhythm tracks - not surprisingly, the "New Orleans funk sound" was built from the drums upward, so earlier 60s tracks like "The Next Ball Game" feature frenetic double-time drumming with heavy syncopation on the bass drum overlayered with melodies more akin to Motown (in this case)or to early rock 'n' roll, a syncretism which can be intoxicating or somewhat anachronistic. However, the compilers turned up some ultra-rare funk singles and album sides for this collection as well, the most enthralling of which is, in my opinion, Eddie Bo's "The Thang (Part 2)", wherein the bassline begins about a minute into the record and a wah-wah guitar line, repressed in the mix for virtually the entire track, suddenly bursts out towards the end. Tracks by Lee Dorsey, The Meters, and The Wild Magnolias ensure visibility, and the liner notes include interviews with three of the main players in the N.O. record industry."