On their third official release, U Ready, Man?, singer-songwriter Greg Humphreys and his Chapel Hill-based outfit Hobex present a collection of songs so funky you might need to check your drawers midway through the album. Hobex takes the style of Sly and the Family Stone and Curtis Mayfield and blends it expertly with instrumentation that even the pickiest jam-band aficionado can groove to--imagine Maxwell meets Medeski, Martin & Wood.
Man? sees the band move from acid jazz-laced tracks like "Ken's Burn" and "He Did Mention You" to the soulful ballad "Why Can't We Try," all the while maintaining their guitar- and organ-driven funkiness. The full talent of the band is realized on a few especially bright spots. The smooth "Baby's Gone Away" is a soulful exercise in toe-tapping, feet shuffling bebop. The second track, "So Far Away" is immediately engaging with its far-Eastern-tinged guitar riffs and swirling organ. The familiar lyrics, syncopated beat and earthy falsetto vocals bring the song back to something recognizable and danceable.
There are, however, times on the album when Hobex seems hindered by its somewhat limited genre. The repetitiveness and predictability of numbers like "Playin' Games" and "Soul Food" detract from whatever adventurous ground the album has explored.
The album is a modern catalogue of R&B and soul styles. Overall, Hobex is, despite the admitted blandness of a few of the tracks, successful in transforming the sound of the afro-clad '70s rock icon into '90s songwriting sensibilities.
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