Lettuce - Live In Tokyo (2005)

As I try to sum up what exactly has drawn me to this group, and how it differs from old school funk, I simply quote Bootsy Collins: "Somebody been messin' with my funk. Funkin' 'round, funkin' with it 'till they funked it up!"

If you want a straight answer, these guys are not only the real deal, but will be what other new funk bands are measured by. These guys are nasty, low-down, self-proclaimed "Defenders of the Funk". I challenge anyone to show these guys down.

If you're a lover of funk, and love to hear how funk can evolve, this album is defnintely for you. Eric Krasno (Soulive)and Adam Deitch (John Scofield Band) have furthered the sound of funk, and this ensemble is right on their wavelength. With the addition of Neal Evans (Soulive) on keys, Lettuce found the missing ingredient from their studio release, "Outta Here", which was a brilliant piece of work in its own right. But in this release, "Kron Dutch" explodes with the most modernized funk sound to date.

If Parliament's P-Funk were the rulemakers for an oppressed society, Lettuce's L-Funk may very well be today's lovers of the oppressed Mother Earth. -- Karl W. Berner