CD Review

Just when you thought the 70’s groove funk revival had come and gone, along comes Cadillac Jones. This automotive edition is a dapper, slick and shiny funk that hits the note on various groovy influences. Their third release, Junk In The Trunk, is also the six-piece’s debut on the new Harmonized Records label.

Song titles like “Galaxy Galore,” “Concourse ’73,” “Your Mama,” and “Sammy Sosa,” reminiscent of a 70’s shaggy adult film are only solidified with the striped orange Adidas jumpsuits the band sports on the back cover. But a deeper (no pun intended) listen shows the band spins genuinely amongst various genres of funk and jazz, demonstrating they are thoroughly wealthy in their roots. “Sammy Sosa” in particular grooves to a mid-tempo sax melody that conjures up Charlie Parker, while “Galaxy Galore” stammers with tasty lead guitar work, pushing the omnipresent horns to the background momentarily. And the band’s version of Coltrane’s “Giant Steps” – dashed with turntables and a sense of renewal, is clearly defiant.

There isn’t anything particularly ground breaking going on here, but Cadillac Jones proves there is more room for another 70’s funk-flavored band in the garage.