Rock Candy Funk Party “The Grooove³”

Rock Candy Funk Party knows how to do the math : The supergroup consisting of de Tal Bergman (drums), Joe Bonamassa (guitars), Renato Neto (keyboards), Mike Merritt (bass) et Ron De Jesus (guitar) named its third album The Grooove³ -or The Grooove Cubed. Funk/rock to the max with 14 new tracks arguably to superior  Groove Is King, released in 2015 ! The band is still expert at blending instrumental funk with other genres  (jazz-fusion in “In The Groove”, Blaxploitation mood in “Mr. Space”, the downtempo and dusky “After Hours”) and has a great taste for imaginary soundtracks and spectacular mash-ups when “Funk-o-potamia” and “The Token Ballad” mix Led Zeppelin with prog-rock thanks to keyboardist Renato Neto, a former Prince band member.

In The Grooove³ , Rock Candy Funk Party adds a new ingredient to his groovy gumbo : singer Ty Taylor (Vintage Trouble) shines on the catchy single “Don’t Even Try It” while Mahalia Barnes delivers a great and imaginative update of James Brown’s “I Got the Feelin’”. This third album also ends with a surprising twist with the swinging “Ping Pong”. And how can you not like a band who names its tracks “This Tune Should Run for President” and “Two Guys and Stanley Kubrick Walk into a Jazz Bar” ?

Jacques Trémolin

Rock Candy Funk Party The Grooove³  ****(Mascot Records). Available October 20 on CD, double-LP and digital version.