Rating: NNN
When they went into the studio, the Budos Band thought they were going to be flipping their Afro-funk formula to embrace darker psychedelic rock sounds. Well, some of those touches did make it onto the album, but it’s not as big a shift as it sounds on paper. Even when they go minor key and slap on the trippy effects, it still sounds like the tightly wound worldbeat soul they made their name with.
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It’s a fun collection of grooves to nod your head to on a sunny afternoon, and the production is warm and inviting. The only problem is that they’re a little too good for their own good. When they do get adventurous and experimental, they execute it with such smoothness that even those moments of danger and excitement sound muted and safe. It’s a solid disc, but you can’t shake a sense that the Budos Band is capable of more.
Top track: Black Venom
Budos Band hit Lee’s Palace Saturday (July 17).
