Rating: NNN
Moses Mayes are a funk band from Winnipeg who mainly deliver that 70s sound, with a few more modern references such as turntable scratches thrown in. It’s mostly instrumental, which can sometimes lead to a bit of a musical circle jerk, but MM’s arrangements are clever enough to avoid that jam band trap. The guest vocalists don’t create the strongest moments, and as with any funk band, you need to tolerate a certain amount of cheese and the occasional cliché. The album was produced by Jamie Shields of the New Deal, who co-wrote and plays on several tracks, but the electronic influence here is submerged. These guys are good musicians, but they’d benefit from expanding their influences a bit. Moses Mayes play Saturday (November 25) at the Reverb.
