Brownout - Homenaje (CD)

All Music Guide

This predominantly instrumental sideproject of Austin's Grupo Fantasma ratchets up the funk and adds an occasional cool, dreamy edge to make the tongueincheekily named Latin collective Brownout nearly as irresistible as its more established musical relative. The eight piece features a three man horn section that brings jazzy spice to the already sizzling salsa/funk mix. Things start out promisingly with the sensual "Brown Wind and Fire" that sounds like the soundtrack to a love scene of a 70s blaxploitation flick, but lays the foundation of what follows. The filmic quality of this music stays intact as the album progresses, yet the intensity increases peaking with a version of Manu Dibango's "African Battle" that explodes with AfroCuban percussion and the horn section tearing into the melody with passion and heat and like the rest of the disc, sharp arrangements. Santana references are unavoidable, but this is more authentic and less guitarcentric, with greater emphasis on a group dyna...mic. These guys are obviously having a blast playing music they clearly love and the feeling is contagious as on the closing "Chafa Khan Artistry," a jam that captures all the excitement and collaborative joy of nailing a groove for the fun of it. All selections but the Dibango track are originals and share the 70s undercurrent, even though there is little selfconsciously retro about Brownout's approach. But since the album's title translates to "homage," the group evidently intends to pay tribute to its influences. A few smoky, ominous tunes such as the psychedelic wahwah guitar based "They Don't Know," one of the disc's only vocals, and the crawling "You Already Are," alter the vibrant mood, but basically this is an upbeat party that cranks the percussion and horns for a joyous eruption of Latin jazz/funk played with chops and crackling enthusiasm. It's every bit as vital as Grupo Fantasma and one of the few instances where a band's offshoot registers with just as much creativity and invention as the original outfit. - Hal Horowitz, All Music Guide Read more Less