Johnny "Guitar" Watson - Best of the Funk Years (CD)

All Music Guide

Shout Factory's single disc The Best of the Funk Years compiles a solid crosssection of the tracks blues icon Johnny "Guitar" Watson recorded for the DJM label from 1970 to 1981. A hugely influential artist who got his start rockin' out in the '50s with such blues crossover classics as "Too Tired" and "Hot Little Mama," Watson reimagined himself in the '70s as a blues pimp extraordinaire replete with a groovy Afro and threepiece suits. But it wasn't just his look that changed; a multiinstrumentalist/vocalist, Watson also created his own unique brand of funk that mixed together jazz, blues, soul, disco, and RB. Such tracks included here "Ain't That a Bitch" and "Funk Beyond the Call of Duty" even prefigure work by funk iconoclast Prince. Similarly innovative, Watson's 1980 rap track "Telephone Bill" was ahead of its time. While the doubledisc Funk Anthology is a more indepth representation of Watson's '70s work, The Best of the Funk Years is a superb introduction to this part of his c...areer. - Matt Collar, All Music Guide Read more Less