[.ca] Outta Here

Two Words...Kicks It:
How have more people not heard of or reviewed this band. Lettuce is keeping funk alive! Each track is unique but never loses that critical funk groove. I can listen to this cd all the way through again and again and again. And for those who don't think that this band could possibly be this good live, just check out track 11. Thank you velour records. If I had more stars to give I would. If you want more funky music like this check out Velour.com (where lettuce and topaz (70's-esque cop show funk groove music...very cool) come from) and also homegrownmusic.net.

Turnips is FUNKY, now LETTUCE is too!!...:
Most of us familiar with the down-and-dirty grooves, serious jams, and exploratory willingness (not to mention serious jazz chops) that characterize groups like Soulive and the John Scofield band, knew what to expect from this long-awaited release: some serious FUNK in the JB's/Headhunters/ParliamentFunkadelic tradition. The folks at Velour did a good job of marketing their exciting upcoming releases, many of which revolve around members of Soulive, Lettuce, Topaz, and others, in the sampler distributed at recent shows (I snagged one at Soulive at the Apollo), which includes the track "Super Fred" from the current album, an homage to the trumpet impresario (there is a god and his name is Fred Wesley!)that rages in a style consistent with the overall product. Uncle Sco also joins in the fun, lending his guitar mastery to a couple of tracks. If you're a fan of serious funk music, this album is a no brainer; with some standard atmpospheric enhancements, this disc's a party waiting to happen.

Serious Funk!:
This is an excellent album. Every song on this cd is great. However, two songs stand out above the rest. The title track, "Outta Here" and "Superfred" are the pinnacle of this album. It is no coincidence that these two tracks have a guest appearance by the incomparable Fred Wesley. Fred's trombone chops are unbelievably funky. On "Superfred" he matches the guitar chops lick for lick. This is just ridiculuous considering the man is playing a trombone. Despite what the other review says about Fred being a trumpeter, it is still accurate in the assessment of his skills. As for the rest of the band, I would compare it to Karl Denson's Tiny Universe (without the singing and slow songs) All the songs are uptempo and full of energy. There are excellent horn breakdowns and some very tasty guitar work from Eric Krasno of Soulive. The only thing I can say that this album lacks is more Hammond B3, but I'm a sucker for the organ so my opinion is a little biased. Otherwise this is good.

DAMN FUNKY:
I got Outta Here a few months back and can't stop listening to it. DAMN! I've been listening to Eric Krasno and Sam Kinneger in Soulive and Adam Deitch in John Scofield's band for the past few years, so I knew this disc was gonna be funky. Without a doubt, this group is continuing the vintage, ultra-funky heritage of James Brown, Sly and the Family Stone, George Clinton/PFunk/Parliament and Herbie Hancock/Headhunters. Dig it!

• Outta Here
• The Dump
• Squadlive
• Back In Effect
• Twisted
• Superfred
• Reunion
• The Flu
• Nyack
• Hang Up Your Hangups
• Nyack (live)