O'Donel Levy - Everything I Do Gonna Be Funky (1973)

"Everything I Do Gonna Be Funky, O'Donel Levy's follow-up to his excellent Simba, is something of a letdown in comparison. Simba featured a bunch of solid tunes, written and dynamically arranged by Manny Albam. Although both albums were produced by label head Sonny Lester, without Albam's input these sessions seem somewhat lost. The title cut is not a direct ripoff of the Allen Toussaint tune, but it is fairly derivative. The second tune is a direct ripoff. "Marbles," credited to Levy, is actually a John McLaughlin tune, from his album Devotion, and it's downhill from there. Billy Preston's "Will It Go Round in Circles" is taken at breakneck speed, and let's just say Levy is better off sticking with instrumentals. "Livin' for the City" gets a heavy wah-wah makeover, but is one of the better tracks on the album. The rest is just unremarkable. "Sideshow" shows the ballad side of Levy's playing, and the standard "Willow Weep for Me" is treated as a pretty straight blues. None of this is awful; it just lacks the great tunes and arrangements of its predecessor. Unless you simply can't get enough O'Donel Levy, skip Everything I Do Gonna Be Funky and stick with Simba."

allmusic.com

Tracklisting

1. O'Donel Levy - Everything I Do Gonna Be Funky (3:23)
2. O'Donel Levy - Marbles (6:29)
3. O'Donel Levy - Will It Got Round In Circles (3:23)
4. O'Donel Levy - Living For The City (5:03)
5. O'Donel Levy - Side Show (4:47)
6. O'Donel Levy - Willow Weep For Me (6:18)
7. O'Donel Levy - Hey, Love! (3:19)
8. O'Donel Levy - Are You Foolin' Me (3:10)

O'Donel Levy - Everything I Do Gonna Be Funky

Jimmy Smith - Root Down, Live (1972)

       "Jimmy Smith ruled the Hammond organ in the '50s and '60s. He revolutionized the instrument, showing it could be creatively used in a jazz context and popularized in the process. His Blue Note sessions from 1956 to 1963 were extremely influential and many, like 1960's Back at the Chicken Shack and 1958 's The Sermon, are classics. Smith turned the organ into almost an ensemble itself. He provided walking bass lines with his feet, left hand chordal accompaniment, solo lines in the right, and a booming, funky presence that punctuated every song, particularly the up-tempo cuts. Smith turned the fusion of R&B, blues, and gospel influences with bebop references and devices into a jubilant, attractive sound that many others immediately absorbed before following in his footsteps."

allmusic.com

Tracklisting:

1. Jimmy Smith - Sagg Shootin' His Arrow (11:44)
2. Jimmy Smith - For Everyone Under the Sun (5:55)
3. Jimmy Smith - After Hours (7:50)
4. Jimmy Smith - Root Down (And Get It) (12:39)
5. Jimmy Smith - Let's Stay Together (6:26)
6. Jimmy Smith - Slow Down Sagg (10:22)
7. Jimmy Smith - Root Down (And Get It) (alternative version) (12:12)

Jimmy Smith - Root Down (And Get It)

Magnum - Fully Loaded (1974)

"They weren't as good as Funkadelic or Sly Stone, but they were pretty good, mixing up a sort of late-psychedelic soul-rock in their elongated, oft-humorous compositions. Crucially, they also varied their approach over the course of the LP, with long groove jams that borrowed from Latin jazz fusion, goofy sex wordplay, celebratory party funk, and some doses of cosmic consciousness."

allmusic.com

Tracklisting

1. Magnum - It's the Music That Makes Us Do It (3:59)
2. Magnum - Witch Doctor's Brew (7:25)
3. Magnum - Funky Junky (5:14)
4. Magnum - Composition Seven (9:57)
5. Magnum - Evolution (5:48)
6. Magnum - Your Mind (3:57)
7. Magnum - Natural Juices (6:37)

Magnum - Witch Doctor's Brew