Boozoo Bajou
Juke Joint
Stereo Deluxe
There used to be a time when I thought only Gilles Peterson could create an eclectic mix of genius – take you all around the planet and back again and combine all those disparate flavors into a cohesive, singular experience sans the schizophrenia or dysentery. Then, (recently disbanded) Red Snapper came out with It’s All Good, and I had to include them as well. And, now, German production team Boozoo Bajou, further expands the catalogue with Juke Joint.
This 20-song disc seems to accomplish the impossible: mixing dub, lounge, disco, reggae, blues, jazz, and, yes, country into a unified sound. The cohesion boggles the mind, the music lifts the spirit. Juke Joint starts off with Primal Scream’s meditative, tabla dub, “Star,” and then the eclectic ride begins where Tommy Guerrero, John Lee Hooker, Freddie McGregor, Gregory Isaacs, Paul Weller, Greg Brown, and Boozoo themselves can all be seen sitting comfortably together. There is also some downright brilliant music here: Groove Armada and Richie Haven’s “Little by Little”; the molasses-slow disco groove of UKO’s “Real”; jiri.ceiver’s “ycool”; and Willi Wright’s Black Panther-funky, “Right on for the Darkness.” The end result is an incredible sound that should leave Sir Gilles green with envy. The man now has competition.
Stereo Deluxe: http://www.stereodeluxe.com/
