Funk, inc. - Funk, Inc. & Chicken Lickin'

For the last couple of weeks I've been groovin' to this bundle of Funk, Inc.'s first two albums, Funk Inc. & Chicken Lickin'. Funk Inc. is like the illegitimate child of Jack McDuff's original quartet (with Duke, Holloway and Benson) and The Meters. It's got that laid back groove that the Meters have, but it's a lot more jazz-oriented and exploratory. And it's simply awesome. Just listen to the intro of the first track, Kool is Back and you'll be captured by that guitar hook.

OK, so maybe some of the tracks drag on for a little too long, and the instrumental version of BB King's The Thrill is Gone is really missing the lyrics (and the point), but still, it's about the best groove this side of the Greyboys Allstars, and 25 years earlier too!