Conceived by label owner Adrian Gibson and made into reality by The Bamboosâ?? Lance Ferguson, the Black Feeling project is all about taking it back to the source â?? to the music that has inspired, instigated and accompanied many a musical journey over the years. Following a sell out gig at the Jazz Café last year, band leader Lance rounded up a bunch of fellow minded musicians from the Aussie funk scene to collaborate on a covers album. Consisting of members of The Bamboos, Cookin On 3 Burners and many more guest musicians, the tracks are presented under pseudonyms to give the impression of an album you would find whilst digging in a Caribbean record shop or American thrift store.
Kicking things off is the James Brown penned â??Honky Tonk Popcornâ? â?? made famous by Bill Doggett (and in turn sampled by The Beatnuts) â?? taking the familiar bassline but changing up the drums, the familiar organ line should prick up the ears. Already causing a storm on vinyl is â??The Blessing Songâ? â?? originally a haunting jazz number, here stripped back to the basics and now a jazz-dance dancefloor bomb already road tested at the legendary Messinâ?? Around club session in London. The Al Foster Bandâ??s â??Night Of The Wolfâ? gets the treatment next â?? toughening up the drums and giving it a 2007 feel. Possibly the stand out track of the album is â??Hippy Skippy Moon Strutâ? - a dancefloor favourite at the more discerning clubs around the world, the track is perhaps better known as the sample source for Christine Aguilera's "Ain't No Other Man" smash of last year.
Elsewhere, Rusty Bryantâ??s Dingwalls classic â??Fire Eaterâ? given an afro-cuban shake up, Richards Peopleâ??s funk break classic â??Yo Yoâ? gets worked over in a fine style and another appearance from the Godfather of Soul with the cover of â??Licking Stick, Licking Stickâ?. The album finishes with a laid back version of â??Executive Partyâ? from the Rollerball soundtrack and dug by Cut Chemist on his â??Rare Equationsâ? mix CD from a few years back.
All in all, an essential album for collectors, DJs and new comers alike!