The Budos Band II (Vinyl)

The venomous follow up to The Budos' eponymous debut, this LP is equal parts groove and doom. All housed in a firm, card, tip-on sleeve.

This Brooklyn-based instrumental collective combines slow-burn Afro-beat rhythms with a '70s soul-jazz aesthetic, the latter sound well-known by those already familiar with the Daptone label's other releases. The retro, almost blaxploitation soundtrack groove pushes the predominantly Afro style into American soul territory. They call it "Afro-soul," which neatly sums up the style but doesn't entirely do it justice; only hearing it does. Horns and horn charts dominate, which, because these sessions were recorded live in the studio, exude a spark and swing that are somewhat ominous yet hypnotically contagious. 

There's a strong R&B undercurrent, especially in the bass on "His Girl," an innovative rewrite of the Temptations' "My Girl." "Origin of Man" practically begs to be the soundtrack to a film noir, and much of this would work as backing music to a typical '70s grindhouse flick, which is a high compliment. Its swirling sound crosses genres and eras with effortless precision, joining world-roots-funk with the thumping urban groove of the Western world.