In the Raw

Whomp! These guys bring it all down on the beat -- hitting harder than Cassius Clay at the Rome Olympics in '60, packing bass, guitar, and drums into one funky punch -- pounding out a hard heavy groove all the way through their entire debut LP! Of course, these guys have the talent to do it right -- sporting a connection to the Poets Of Rhythm that you can certainly hear in some of the album's more stoned-out grooves -- and like that hip funky combo, the Whitefield Brothers maintain a strong mix of classic funky modes, with just the right touches of professional trippiness to push the whole thing over the top. An instant classic, Desco-style -- with tracks that include "Prowlin", "In The Raw", "Sol Walk", "Eji", "Thunderbird", "Weiya", and "Yakuba". 2002