Funky Chicken is a funk soul sensation of an album, that is being re-issued on vinyl for this year's Record Store Day, with two bonus songs not on the original album that came out on Brunswick records. Easily the most fun you can have listening to a record, this will put a smile on your face and get you up and dancing in no time at all to its stone cold groove.
The album opens with Soulful Football, This has nothing to do with Wee Willie Henderson the Scottish footballer, it's a very James Brown style funky warm up routine, before you go and play American Football, they get down and dirty as you all stretch and get ready for the first down, only in this case they are down on that beat, with a brass section that's niftier than the best offence you can find, get ready for a play like no other as Willie calls out the plays ready for the quarter back sax to take over.
Oo Wee Baby, I Love You is libidinous soulful funky magic to lure you into some good good loving, reminiscent of the Chi-Lites if they had Jimmy Smith on keyboards, like everything on this album it's impossible to sit still and listen to this record, you will find it impossible not to groove and dance along to every last second of this.
Can I Change My Mind well of course you can, as long as it's not about not loving this album, the trombone at the centre of this tune is magisterial, as you submit to whatever's requested of you, as that horn section works it's funky magic.
Funky Chicken Part 1 will get everyone up on that dance floor to get down with them, go on do that Funky Chicken, as the deep bass rumbles throughout, the brass stabs go over the top as Willie lays out what he wants to eat with that Funky Chicken, no one makes collard greens sound as sexy as this does.
Break Your Back is the first bonus tune on this re-issue, this is a dance craze single for you to go and Break Your Back as you follow the instructions in the lyrics and try not to hurt yourself by going too far back, this should get any room up and dancing.
The B-side opens with a cover of Sugar Sugar the much-loved Archies classic, this is way funkier than Alex Chilton's version, it's also far less salacious than Ken Lazarus' reggae version, this is a sweet soul sensation version.
Off into A Black Thing has African style militant drums, with a spectral funky guitar break that the brass section works around.
Is It Something You've Got well if it isn’t this album, you haven't got anything, this song is about jealousy of the other woman set against more sensational brass and a central clarinet solo that struts and preens.
Funky Chicken Part 2 will have you clucking all over the dancefloor, but not like you got the Turkey in you, the band sound like they are kicking back and having a blast as that Good ole funky Chicken starts clucking.
The album closes with the second bonus song another dance craze sensation the Loose Booty, that's every bit as slack as the title might suggest, but god damn you want to see a dance floor doing the Loose Booty with everyone shaking and singing along, as with this entire album this is great funky fun.
Find out more at https://recordstoreday.com/UPC/711574899692
