The real proof in the pudding of whether
the Beastie Boys can really funk it up isn't on their own records. Naysayers have been claiming that it's all a rip, that the grooves are pure sample-happy appropriation. While
Dr. Lonnie Smith gave Beck the B-3 treatment on his own
Boogaloo to Beck,
Love Bug mastermind and killer B-3 boss
Ruben Wilson snagged P-Funk keyboard ace
Bernie Worrell, saxophonist
Andrew Beals, and a rhythm section that includes guitarist
Doug Munro and skin popper
LaFrae Olivia Sci and dug deep into
the Beasties' catalog to let the real soul groove out of the bag.
Wilson, unlike many of his peers, is a man who has a defined and ready sense of humor, which is perhaps why his own tunes have been sampled so heavily by DJs and hip-hop rascals. There's no kitsch, no gimmick, just good dirty, nasty fun on this set. One standout on a rather seamless album is the hep reading of "Sabotage," with
Beals,
Munro, and
Wilson trading lines in a call and response that is as musical as it is funky. The slippery solo
Wilson takes on "Intergalactic" is at odds with the spacey mix,
Beals' liquid chords, and the rim shot breaks supplied by
Sci. The repetitive line on "Hey Ladies" goes right for the below the waist, but
Beals adds some real romance in his solo too.
Worrell's popping five-fingered chord runs in "Something's Got to Give" provide a welcome counterpoint to
Wilson's in-the-cut soloing. It's all killer, no filler, and if you really want to know what goes down in "Cooky Puss," you're gonna have to go out and hunt this baby down because you
need it. If you dig
the Beasties, this is a whole new trip; if you're already hip to
Wilson, then this is reason enough to get outta the listening room and get to the store.
–
Thom Jurek, Rovi