To quote Martin Scorsese and Charlie Parker, "now's the time" for G. Love & Special Sauce. They're back to claim their rightful due as the innovators, the originators of a folk/blues/rap style they pioneered on their self-titled debut album five years ago--a style that is now an integral part of the international pop music soundscape.
G. Love's new OKeh/550 Music album, Philadelphonic, is his tightest, most mature, most soulful work to date. At its core is Special Sauce, with G. Love on guitars and blues harp and vocals, Jimi "Jazz" Prescott on acoustic bass, and "The Houseman" Jeffrey Clemens on drums and percussion. Their infectious, instantly identifiable sound is bolstered by the subtle, on-point craftsmanship of new producers T. Ray and, on six tracks, Chris D. (Chris DiBeneditto).
Spontaneity was the key to the making of Philadelphonic. The songs emerged from sound checks and studio rehearsals, during long walks and even in the middle of the night. Take "Do It For Free," with the ringing harmonics of Jimi's bass line, House Man's propulsive rhythm (sort of D.C. go-go meets New Orleans second-line), and G. Love's scratchy guitar and free-flowing rap.
"That was created in a sound check," says the leader. "Jeff was playing that groove, and I had this guitar line I'd worked out. Then those guys [background vocalists Brodeeva] started singing the hook, and I was like, 'Damn, that's a song!' So I went ahead and wrote the rest of the lyrics for it."
"Numbers," with its Dylanesque images of "four mourning doves searching in the park" and "eleven white swans swimming in a black lake," reflects a spiritual side of G. Love not previously revealed on disc. His spoken intro is a passage from Baird T. Spalding's six-volume Life and Teaching of The Masters of the Far East.
Surprisingly, the first radio track from Philadelphonic isn't a G. Love composition: It's "Rodeo Clowns," written (and sung with G.) by Jack Johnson, a professional surfer from Southern California and a longtime fan of Special Sauce. "Jack came to one of our sessions, we hit it off, and later on we went surfing together," G. explains. "Eventually he played me this song, 'Rodeo Clown,' and I thought it was great, really anthemic."
"I mean, in walks Jack Johnson, whose music is totally inspired by our music, he's got this great song--and now that's our first single. I think it all happened in a really cool way."
With its mellow vocal chorus, shimmering tremolo guitar and touches of phasing, "Relax" conjures up the dreamy mood of Jimi Hendrix's "Have You Ever Been To (Electric Ladyland)" or "Comfortably Numb" by Pink Floyd. G. Love turned adversity into art to create this memorable track.
"I was on tour and laid up in this hotel in Zurich, about as sick as I've ever been in my life, drifting in and out of sleep, and...well, the music business is really stressful sometimes, and I was actually, in my head, hearing my manager argue with my label about the tour, about the album, all this stuff. All these voices were swirling around and suddenly my voice came in, sayin' 'Just relax.' And when I woke up, I wrote out the whole song."
Philadelphonic's closing track, the solo acoustic "Gimme Some Lovin'," is G. Love at his most tender and intimate. "I was lyin' in bed with my girl, in Michigan," he recalls, "and that song woke me up in the morning. She was still sleeping, and I went into the bathroom with my guitar and wrote it all down."
G. Love has nothing but love for new producer T. Ray. "I think he really has a vision of what myself and my band are capable of doing. The way he was producing was almost like the way we come up with songs, with that kind of spontaneity."
While putting the finishing touches on Philadelphonic, G. Love & Special Sauce found time for two other sessions. They cut a new version of "Dazz," the 1976 No. 1 R&B hit by Brick, for the soundtrack of Muppets From Space. And they traveled to Muscle Shoals, Alabama, to collaborate with blues legend Little Milton Campbell on a track for his latest Malaco Records release. "Me and My Woman" features Milton backed by Special Sauce, with a brief rap and some wailing blues harp from G. Love.
G. Love was born October 3, 1972 in Philadelphia and began playing guitar at age 8. He wrote his first song in ninth grade and, under the influences of Bob Dylan and John Hammond Jr., began playing harmonica in a wire rack. At the same time, he was digging the then-contemporary "old school" hip-hop sounds of Run-DMC, the Beastie Boys, and Philly's own Schooly D.
He was still in high school when he began playing solo on the streets of his hometown. After a year of college, G. relocated to Boston, playing wherever and whenever he could. One of his few indoor gigs at this time was a Boston bar called The Tam O'Shanter, where he met drummer Jeffrey "The Houseman" Clemens in January, 1993. G. and Jeff were working as a duo when they were joined a few months later by bassist Jim "Jimi Jazz" Prescott.
Signed to the Epic Records Group through its roots-oriented OKeh label, G. Love & Special Sauce cut their self-titled debut entirely live at Studio 4 in Philadelphia. The album was released in May 1994 and featured prime cuts like "Cold Beverage," "Blues Music," and "Shooting Hoops." To date, G. Love & Special Sauce has sold over 350,000 copies in the US alone; the album still sells an average of 1000 copies every week.
The trio began touring as both club headliners and support to bigger names, sometimes playing three sets in a single day. Special Sauce rocked European festivals like Pink Pop in Holland, Glastonbury in England, and Roskilde in Denmark; lit up the main stage of the H.O.R.D.E. tour alongside Blues Traveler and Black Crowes; and made their own well-received tours of Europe, Japan, and Australia.
In September 1995, G. Love & Special Sauce released their second Epic/OKeh album, Coast To Coast Motel, recorded in New Orleans with producers Jim Dickinson and Keith Keller. More touring followed, including a major US run with the Dave Matthews Band and months of headlining club dates.
Album No. 3, Yeah It's That Easy appeared in October 1997. The 13 tracks ranged from the raucous Philly travelogue of "I-76" to the mellow '70s-soul tones of "Take You There" and "Willow Tree," and featured G. Love fronting four different band lineups. His next year on the road with Special Sauce included a six-week headlining tour of Europe and two months of US dates supporting Widespread Panic.
Proud and pleased about Philadelphonic, G. Love vows to play 250 gigs (!) during the next year. "I want to hit the road harder than I've ever hit it before," he avers. "We sold out two nights at House of Blues in LA [June 8-9, '99] that were like Grateful Dead shows! To get that kind of response when we haven't had a record out in two years shows--that's not about any hype or any bullshit, that's just people getting' into the music. So I'm just gonna go give it to the people, all year long."
"I'm on top of my game. My band is on top of their game. I almost feel like we've been hesitating--now it's time to really bust out!"
Source: http://www.epiccenter.com/EpicCenter/custom/64/main.html
