Thursday, July 1, 2010

G. Love & Special Sauce: Yeah, It's That Easy (1997)

(As published in Offbeat ... )

G. Love & Special Sauce
Yeah, It's That Easy
(Okeh/Epic)


This Philly homeboy's sauciness really is special. Singing and rapping like Jonathan Richman on antihistamines, playing guitar like Alex Chilton on Feudalist Tarts, and honing his powers of observation on such neglected topics as a policewoman slain in the line of duty ("Slipped Away") and the 1982 '76ers ("I-76"), he makes his sound swing by grounding it in the "Low Rider" bass lines and shuffling drums of his several rhythm sections. History and politics elude him ("200 Years," the title cut), but the backup vocals on "Making Amends," "Lay Down the Law," and "Take You There" prove he understands the Ohio Players perfectly.

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