Lettuce
Crush
(Lettuce Records)
Brooklyn-based funk outfit Lettuce returns with its fourth LP, Crush. Hitting listeners with heavy bass and deep and soulfully funky grooves, the music on this project brings on a dance party, whether you want to dance to it or not. I caught the band at the St. Louis LouFest in 2014 and their live show is quite the joyful experience. A band since 1992, its lineup consists of guitarists Adam Smirnoff and Eric Krasno, drummer Adam Deitch, bassist Erick Coomes, Ryan Zoidis on alto, tenor and baritone sax, Neal Evans on organ and keys, while Eric Bloom holds down the trumpet. With influences ranging from Earth, Wind & Fire to Parliament and Tower of Power, Crush brings to light a band that was created when members were students at the Berklee College of Music. They infuse elements of jazz and hip-hop alongside funk on such tracks as “Phyllis,†“Trillogy,†“Sounds Like a Party,†“Get Greasy,†and “He Made a Woman Out of Me,†a cover of 70’s country singer Bobbie Gentry’s tune. Considering Krasno and Neal Evans (along with Alan Evans) are members of the successful jazz/funk trio Soulive, Crush is a testament to the dedication to their craft. While Lettuce produced the new record, Joel Hamilton (Pretty Lights, Matisyahu) co-produced and mixed it at Studio G in Brooklyn.
