Thursday, June 18, 2009
Only the best hip-hop acts employ live bands to back them, and luckily for these soul and funksters out of New York City (led by sax-man Leon Michels and producer Jeff Silverman) the Wu Tang Clan’s Raekwon is on that short list. Better yet, after a successful round of touring with Raekwon, El Michels Affair realized their style gelled with Wu producer RZA’s urban soundscapes. Here, the band dishes out instrumental versions of such anthems as “C.R.E.A.M.” and “Bring Da Ruckus,” making for an awesome full-length brimming with Wu Tang rehashes. It’s groovy background noise in any setting, and just the first such entry by this band, which has already recorded with Iggy Pop and is on tap to deliver instrumental remixes for Amy Winehouse.