Papa Mali - Do Your Thing 2007

Papa Mali's second album, Do Your Thing starts with the freaky psych-funk vibe of the spooky title track, which wouldn't sound out of place on Funkadelic's Maggot Brain. That druggy vibe continues on the Hendrixian "Early in the Morning," a veiled rewrite of "Hey Joe," and the grinding, fuzz bass-powered "I Had the Dream." Throughout the album, deep soul and blues elements like the Delta slide guitar on "Little Moses" and the playful shuffle beat of "I'm Getting over It" clash intriguingly with distorted vocals, jagged feedback explosions, oddball lyrics and other indie rock accoutrements. It makes for a more interesting and entertaining listen than the usual Chicago blues clichés from guys who think nothing of interest has happened in the blues since before Howlin' Wolf died: gems like the menacing, reverb-heavy instrumental "Girls in Bossier City" and the heavy, fuzz-drenched groove of "Sugarland" are too weird for the average fan of polite white-boy blooze, but they're also way closer to the roots of the Delta than the likes of Jon Spencer and Jack White. Do Your Thing is the meeting point between those two opposing sides, taking the best of both while ignoring most of the annoying bits. AMG.

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