6/1/2004

Thomas J. Cullen III

Instrumental music was a hardy subgenre of R&B and soul for three decades, producing innumerable recordings by groups famous and obscure. In the grand tradition of Booker T. & the MG's and the Mar-Keys, as well as maestro Willie Mitchell, the Bo-Keys offer a varied set of seven original soul instrumentals and three tasteful covers. The band's paramount influence is the music of the aforementioned legends, but they deftly blend in Metersesque funk, acid jazz, Latin jazz, and supper-club soul.

Anchored by Stax veteran Willie Hall on drums, the band includes bassist and chief songwriter Scott Bomar, guitarist Skip Pitts, organist Ronnie Williams, saxist Jim Spake, trumpeter Marc Franklin, and percussionist Hector Diaz. The timeless music herein may be familiar, but it remains fresh because it's played with reverence, intuition, and innovation. (Recording at Mitchell's Royal Studio in Memphis was also a plus.) The covers - Jimmy Smith's bluesy "Back at the Chicken Shack," the oft-recorded "Coming Home Baby," and James Brown's funkified "Doin' It to Death" - reveal the band's jazz influences and the depth of their musicianship. The originals, though mainly inspired by past Memphis masters, also exhibit influences ranging from Latin-tinged acid jazz a la Willie Bobo ("Spanish Delight)" to fun-loving boogaloos with Wolfman Jack-like vocals ("Deuce and a Quarter") to lush ballads that pay homage to their source point ("I Remember Stax"). Infectious grooves are filled with fatback drumming, elastic bass runs, shimmering wah-wah guitar, swirling organ, wailing horns, and percolating percussion. The Bo-Keys offer proof that genuine soul instrumentals are alive and well in the digital age.