CORPORATE LINE: Tart, Tangy, Smooth, and oh so lip-smacking Sweet! Aaah yes, time to praise the almighty summer sippin’ thirst quencher, being served straight up G. Love and Special Sauce style, ice cool and always refreshing. On their second release for Brushfire Records, the Philly boys offer up “Lemonade”, a series of soul drenched tracks pouring out their blues infused hip-hop, which people have been trying to label for years. The best advice – don’t try to tame it or claim it; its simply their sonic trademark, instantly recognizable and addictively delicious.
“The whole thing about lemonade for me was when I first set out from Philly to make it in the music world I went up to Boston, and I would just sit on the front porch of my place after playing the streets or practicing and make myself a big pitcher of lemonade. It just symbolized old time porch loungin’ for that’s where I did a lot of my shedding and writing. It was so simple and great, I said, if I ever get a record deal I’m going to get Lemonade tattooed on my arm.”
It’s there all right, and seven albums, thirteen years, and over a million worldwide units later, “Lemonade” is the most cohesive and rewarding album Garrett Dutton – a.k.a. G. Love (guitar, vocals, harmonica, sweat and tears) has ever delivered. Produced and engineered in the womb of Philadelphonic Studios by Chris DiBeneditto (Electric Mile & Philadelphonic) and faithfully anchored by the Sauce, Jimi “Jazz” Prescott (acoustic bass), and Jeffrey “Thunderhouse” Clemens (drums, percussion), G. pairs up with some of the best players in the game including Ben Harper, Donovan Frankenreiter, Jasper, Dave Hidalgo (Los Lobos), Blackalicious, Marc Broussard, Tristan Prettyman and Jack Johnson on a fourteen song celebration of his iconic career.
The tradition of the hip-hop blues has always been to rip open the heart and bare the soul. Tell the listener what they want to hear and you’ll have a fair weather friend; tell them the way it is and you’ll have true love. Thankfully, the Love is Alive, for G. delivers his loping lilt with bone humming honesty and he’s never sounded so clear. From the swarming infectious grooves of “Ride”, “Ain’t That Right”, and “Holla!” to the laid down easy of “Breakin Up”, “Still Hanging Around”, and “Missing My Baby” G. and The Sauce dance with the muses of their mentors, John Hammond, Bob Dylan, Jimmy Reed, De La Soul without ever missing the beat of their own signature time.
THE GOOD:
“Hot Cookin’” – G. Love sings and it’s so much sweeter. This is a free and breezy song to sit on the back porch and relax with a few friends and cold beers.
THE AVERAGE:
“Ride” – This song certainly boasts the smooth G. Love flavor and more singing than rap.
“Let The Music Play” – Ben Harper is the star of this show as he comes in with that silky smooth style out blues-ing G. Love himself—who subsequently tries to once again rap.
“Ain’t That Right” – It’s a shame G. Love doesn’t do less rapping and more singing because the chorus has a sweet summer vibe.
“Missing My Baby” – G. Love hits that bluesy, rock and funk that separates him from a lot of other artists—then again if it were only better.
“Rainbow” – Jack Johnson does his best while G. Love comes in and spoils the effort as he sings over the top of Johnson and not with him in harmony.
THE BAD:
“Can’t Go Back To Jersey” – A bad attempt at LL Cool J’s “Going Back To Cali”—melody and all.
“Banger” – Rapping that would have been revolutionary in 1982.
FRANKLY: G. Love is still a better singer than rapper—and sadly he won’t let the M.C. go. If only he spent more time trying to be more like Dave Matthews and less Vanilla Ice his albums would be much easier to tolerate. Unfortunately Lemonade is more tart than sweet.
+ Rae Gun
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