[.ca] Funk This

From Amazon.com:
The first track off Chaka Khan's first album since 2004's Classikhan unspools the vibe she's going for instantly--in the space of a single boing-y guitar lick--and a little deeper in, the lyrics seal the deal: "Those very sounds floating in and out of my head/Created the magic that sealed my fate," she hollers in the don't-hold-back style that's made her an icon. We get the picture--Funk This is Chaka reflecting on three decades of full-bodied, fevered-up soul music and examining how it is she got to be so funkalicious in the first place. Where a lot of legends retrace their backstories and end up with albums that sound warmed over, though, Chaka forges forward (and back) with fresh and fiery swagger; you wouldn't want to handle any of these 13 songs without an oven mitt. That's not to say they aren't familiar. In addition to several just-written songs (the pretty, provocative "Angel," the heartfelt "One for All Times," and the pointedly honest "Will You Love Me"), Chaka covers Prince's "Sign o' the Times," Joni Mitchell's "Ladies Man," and Jimi Hendrix's "Castles Made of Sand," and she also twists a couple of songs she originally recorded with Rufus, "Pack'd My Bags" and "You Got the Love," into a juiced-up medley. Carly Simon's "You Belong to Me" gets the cover treatment in a likable duet with Michael McDonald, but it's another duet that earns this disc five stars for sizzle: "Disrespectful," written by Mary J. Blige and sung with her, busts out glorious grit and gut-level soul, the kind that'll leave listeners quoting Chaka in her "I'm Every Woman" phase: "Whoa, whoa, whoa-oh." --Tammy La Gorce

WOW ! She is too funky !:
Chaka makes her best and funkiest album for over two decades, and her powerful voice shines throughout. The mid tempo dancer "Back In The Day" has that Rufus sound to it, and that is also evident in the covers of two Rufus classics "Pack'd My Bags/You Got The love" featuring Tony Maiden. The funky mid tempo dancers "Superlife" , "Sign Of The Times" and "Hail To The Wrong" keep up the pace, whilst the melodic mid tempo floater "One For All Time" is also classy. The beat ballads "Angel" and "Ladies Man" and the raunchy version of "Foolish Fool" are also good. "Funk This" is a mixture of originals and covers of some of the best Rhythm and Blues, Funk, Blues, and Soul music from the past thirty to forty years. One of the songs to show off her delicacy of touch is her cover of the Jimi Hendrix's "Castles Made Of Sand". A mid-tempo song about the impermanence of dreams and the dangers of living in a fantasy world, where Ms. Khan utilizes her voice to help generate a mood appropriate to the song. This song is also a good example of her ability to put the song ahead of her ego instead of making it about her and her talents. While younger, less mature singers will look for any excuse to unload pyrotechnics and show off their abilities, Chaka is content to let the mood of the song dictate her performance. Listening to her duet with up- and-coming powerhouse singer Mary J. Blige on the song "Disrespectful" that difference is made perfectly clear. Also amazing is Chaka's versatility as a singer as demonstrated by the range of material that "Funk This" has to offer : from the full throttle Funk of the opening track "Back In The Day" to the ballad "Angel". She shows that slowing the pace down does nothing to detract from her sincerity as a singer. Too often people with strong voices become stentorian when faced with a ballad and equate emotion with loudness and straining for the upper regions of the scale. Music icons like Chaka Khan are often stifled by the pressures of delivering a successful album to their fans. "Funk This" is an album for all skeptics. Through the preparation for this album, Chaka has admitted that she has "been on a little journey in the last few years". Sometimes the path to re-discovery leads us back to where originally we began. Chaka Khan's "Funk This" reminds us why we fell in love with her over 30 years ago. The reason is because she's FUNKY !

Disappointment:
Don't waste your money on this one, it is not worth it! This cd couldn't hold my interest for more than a brief moment! I fast-tracked to the Michael McDonald duet.....it's the only song worth listening to twice on this whole album!!

• Back in the Day
• Foolish Fool
• One for All Time
• Angel
• Will You Love Me?
• Castles Made of Sand
• Disrespectful - Mary J. Blige, Chaka Khan
• Sign 'O' the Times
• Pack'd My Bags/You Got the Love - Chaka Khan, Tony Maiden
• Ladies' Man
• You Belong to Me - Chaka Khan, , Michael McDonald
• Hail to the Wrong
• Super Life
• \oCD-ROM Track\c