After a short intro track the album's first real song is "Hip Hop @ Funk U" with guest performers Ice Cube, Snoop Dog and Chuck D. It's a fast moving, high energy song that mixes a funk groove with hip-hop style raps by Cube and Snoop. "JB - Still the Man" features Rev. Al Sharpton giving a spoken word monologue about the impact of James Brown over a 60's/70's style rhythm with James Brown style horn work prominently featured that works surprisingly well. "After These Messages" has Samuel L. Jackson providing spoken word dialogue over music that's a synthesizer-heavy homage to Parliament's classic "Give Up The Funk" (the song even incorporates the most famous lyrics from that song, "we're gonna turn this mother out"). "Don't Take My Funk" featuring Bootsy's late brother Catfish Collins and Hall of Fame Rocker Bobby Womack has a slower hip-hop infused sound that will recall memories of Soul songs from past decades thanks to the guiding influence of Catfish's smooth rhythm guitar work.
The Funk Capital of the World is a very entertaining funk album that shows Bootsy Collins hasn't lost his touch nor has any of his funk-playing musician friends over the years. Fans of classic funk will especially enjoy the tracks featuring past Parliament members like George Clinton and Catfish Collins which still exhibit the sweet sound found on classic albums of theirs from past decades. Newer fans are more likely to be drawn in for the tracks featuring newer artists like Snoop Dogg and Samuel L. Jackson and those tracks end up being very satisfying, if slightly inconsistent, as well. However, both new fans and old fans will find something on the disc that will get their funky side grooving.
Score: 8/10
Song(s) to Sample: "JB - Still the Man" ft. Al Sharpton and "Don't Take My Funk" ft. Catfish Collins and Bobby Womack [sample it below]
Like their music from before the band broke up, the songs are primarily in the style of house music (with some trance beats thrown in at times) and with vocals present on nearly every track. The album opens with one of the more promising songs on the album, "Little White Doves," which begins with a very catchy beat and melody but begins to sound monotonous by the time the chorus rolls around. "Electric Love" has a heavier rock sound with a trance influenced beat but the band doesn't do anything to make the song uniquely distinguishable or memorable. "Emma" is more in the style of an electropop song by integrating a slower backing beat and subtle electric guitar work to be the most distinctive song on the album. "Round and Round" has a goa influenced trance beat but the accompanying melody is so tired and dated that listeners won't find anything new or interesting with the song unless they've been in a coma since the mid-90's.
Electric Love is a primarily competent album that, unfortunately, never really goes anywhere. The beats, vocals, and production work are all fine by there's no spark found anywhere on the album. In fact, some of the songs sound dated with a few of the tracks being very similar to some Global Underground tracks released over a decade ago. This album becomes monotonous early on and it quite easily loses your attention for extended periods. Even the addition of an electric guitar on a couple of tracks to help give the songs a more hard rocking feel failed to titillate. It might be passable as background music but it's not an album I'll be breaking out at parties anytime soon unless my intent is to send everyone else home.
Score: 4/10
Song(s) to Sample: "Emma" [sample a "preview" of the song below]
The album opens with a throwaway 20-second intro track which segues and bridges to "World Around You" which has a quick tempo beat with exquisitely layered electric guitars and synthesizers. Listeners are instantly carried along with the song's sweeping melody and catchy drum work. "Storm in a Glass of Water" is a more sprawling song that incorporates and accentuates an acoustic guitar, an electric guitar and bass, real drums, dual harmony male and female vocals, and subdued keyboard/synthesizer work at various moments to create a song with many highs and lows. "Laws of Gravity" has a more standard pop melody and style in a track that has the best chance for mass appeal in what will likely be their first single off the album. "Towers Upon Towers" begins slowly with a sole feedback loop and then adding ethereal sounding vocals before giving way to a savvy but simple keyboard melody in a song with a dream-like quality.
Solar turns out to be quite a fresh release from a band I was familiar with by name only. Their musical style would best be described as part electropop and part folk rock with them incorporating many of the indie styles in between those two genres into their songs. Their vocals on this release is reminiscent of an Animal Collective and Arcade Fire hybrid with a slightly higher tenor but the style of singing is very similar to both bands' with the vocalists nearly harmonizing with the somewhat abstract melodies of the songs. The beginning of the album has the more catchy tunes, the middle has the more somber tracks, and the end has the more eclectic tracks. I found the beginning of the album especially charming with the middle and the end alternating between captivating and drawn out.
Score: 7.5/10
Song(s) to Sample: "World Around You" [sample it below] and "Laws of Gravity"
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