Make it funky now.
TEN/SMOKEY ROLLS DOWN THUNDER CANYON/DEVENDRA BANHART
Devendra and his talented group of instrument playing rap scallions are a misleading bunch. Insert his latest disc into your stereo and it all seems like business as usual. There's a bossa nova stomp early on [track three Samba Vexillographica]; An eight minute late sixties Laurel Canyon reawakening [track four Seahorse]; And of course there are beautifully simplistic tracks such as Bad Girl [track five]. The sum of these parts form a deliciously soothing and entertaining one-two-three punch near the beginning of the disc that you should, by now, have come to expect from Devendra and the gang. Keep listening, cause all of a sudden something glorious happens. A new sound and feel emerges around the start of track seven Shabop Shalom. In it comes, unexpected but welcomed doses of light hearted humor, and more importantly [and just as welcomed], from about track 10 onwards -also known as the latter half of the disc- Devendra shows that he's got soul, and he's super bad. Tonada Yanomaninista grooves on like the PCH, expansive and free; Full throated female vocalists help take em to church on the smoldering, tightly quartered Baptist Church sermon that is Saved; And Lover shimmies and shakes, winks and nods to old Stevie Wonder and takes em to church yet again with its toe-tapping codas, full throated harmonies, and bridge-ful helping of handclaps. Shout Hallelujah (!) come on get happy, Devendra Banhart is back. This time with soul! Cause he's super bad.
KEY TRACKS: Seahorse/Bad Girl/Lover
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