Kow
Kow
It opens with a funk that you cannot fake. Anthony Cole dishes out sweet, percussive electric piano in a stark intro that sets up a Sly-worthy funk rock that features Cole’s husky tenor voice dropping lyrics like “some people think that love comes in a box with a ribbon on top.” With a jazz-tinge, this tune skip-grinds along and then turns into a complex jam led by sinful saxophone. It’s a damn nasty guitar riff by Pat McCurdy, matched by Lapham, that anchors “Pan TeeRee Mooval.” A relentless bit of funk hookiness and a simple five-note refrain that is harder to shake than a bitch in heat. A celebration of horniness with Cole’s acid-inspired C-3 musings stirring the kettle towards the mid-section. The song stomps along merrily and then turns sexy with big, beautiful chords. Dan Fadel nails it all and kicks it in the ass repeatedly on drums. His stutter-snare flams on “All The Way” lend a nervous energy to this 60’s flavored groove. Cole could just as easily lead a choir in a Southern Baptist Church somewhere, his emotings and ad-libs are earthy, he scats, laughs, mumbles and wails–a freeing aural trip. “Just Give Me A Chance” gives the boys a chance to show off their instrumental chops, which are considerable. McCurdy pulls magical chords out of his bag while Lapham comes off sounding a little like a Wings-era Paul McCartney, which is to say–eloquent. Cole’s saxophone bleeds and fades, sonic musings of light. Fadel mixes it up with a resounding repertoire of beats, none two the same. They writhe together as an animal, a colony of groove perpetrators. If you’re grabbing the lady and a handful of CD’s to play on the way to Cocoa Beach, you’re gonna want to save this one for the last 30 minutes of driving. Instead of sounding like another version of some other funk band before them, Kow pulls off a raw and lively EP that shows them to be inventive while keeping the traditional elements intact. Besides all that, my ass never stopped moving–and ain’t that the true measure of great music?
Hep Cat Enterprises, 407.872.8559 Hep Cat Enterprises, 407.872.8559