Valvulado: Stone Cold Funk: A Galaxy of Original Rare Grooves

One of many funk anthologies to come out of the U.K. in recent years, Stone Cold Funk is an outstanding mix of '70s funk that should appeal to modern ears. There are several tracks on Stone Cold Funk, from artists such as Joe Quartermain & Free Soul, Lee Dorsey, Ripple, and Aaron Neville, that appear on other funk compilations such as Funk Soul Brothers and the Blaxploitation series. There are a few gems on here, however, that are hard to find elsewhere. Lightin' Rod's "Sport" is a unique piece of '70s Gil-Scott Heron-like rap that created the blueprint for gangsta rap decades later and the funky bassline has been sampled several times over the years. Another oft-sampled track is the Skull Snaps' "It's a New Day," and listening to the funky drum breaks at the beginning and middle of the track, it's easy to see why. While "It's a New Day" remains virtually unknown, it has been one of the most sampled songs ever, and a must for any funk or hip-hop fan. There are also a few interesting lesser-known tracks by the Ohio Players and the Meters as well as a couple of soul numbers by Ann Sexton in the tradition of Aretha Franklin and Etta James. While much of the music in Stone Cold Funk should be familiar to funk fans, there are more than enough hidden treasures on the album to make it worth your while.

http://www.allmusic.com/album/stone-cold-funk-a-galaxy-of-original-rare-grooves-mw0000732505

Right from the first defiant beat of Ann Sexton's 'You're Losing Me' you know the direction where Stone Cold Funk is taking you. Certainly, there are enough fat tunes here to fill the hippist students' party twice-over, yet Stone Cold Funk's real strength lay in the intimacy of the song writing. There's a rawness, an honesty, that draws the audience onto the mean streets of an early '70s black Harlem. Whether its Sexton's powerful ballads of unrequited love or Aaron Neville's sublime recounting of inner-city poverty, songs of personal hardships endured dominate Stone Cold Funk. This wonderful compilation affirms the importance of funk in black culture. Funk is quintessentially upbeat and optimistic, and whether your life is debilitated by dead-end jobs, abusive boyfriends, cash problems and worse, you know that if you get the funk out you'll make it through 'til tomorrow. There's not a duff track here, although The Ohio Players 'Mother-in-Law' steals the show. 'Satan should be her name,' indeed!

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Stone-Cold-Funk-Various-Artists/dp/B0000241WR

Stone Cold Funk (1999)