Re-Members Only

Thank you so much, I received my CD and it's awesome. I purchased it solely or the Victor Duplaix song but enjoying the whole thing!

I LOVED When the Funk Hits the Fan and could never understand why it didn't do better in the US. So I was interested to see how King Britt would handle the 80's on Re-Members Only, which is supposed to draw from the style of music in that decade.Bottom line: I don't think this CD works. The music sounds nothing like the 80's. There's a few touches that sound right. The basslines on "Rising" and a few other tracks have an early 80's/Gap Band/Madonna feel. Some of the tacky programmed drums are soooo eighties you cringe (you know that percussion that sounds like someone shaking a box of Tic-Tacs?). Otherwise, Re-Members Only completely misses the feel of 80s music. 80's music bounced more than it grooved, so the slow tempo on this CD seems like an odd choice. It's more along the lines of pop-oriented drum and bass than 80's dance music.That point aside, this CD fails because the material just isn't very good. Few tracks make much of an impression and most are impossible to recall three seconds after they end. The notable exception is "Happiness". The only other tracks that worked for me were "Rising", Capitol A's "All the Way Live", and (maybe) the passable retread of Nu Shooz's "I Can't Wait".A big dissapointment.

This album unfolds with repeated listens. It's a great reflection on what the 80's had to offer musically recalling other fads and memorabilia(like "members only" jackets). The production alone is an interesting amalgam of new wave, early and late 80's r &b, old skool hip hop and hybrids. The album closer the Beauty of Machines even harkens Herbie Hancock's "Rock It" while 'Romeo is Bleeding' samples the late 70's early 80's "Rude Movements" with finesse. A horn-laden cover of the Nu Shooz jam "I Can't Wait" solidifies the 80's ethos. This LP serves as an interesting point of reference, showcasing how the 80's had a definitive sound and how all of those genres in the 80's drew from each other. Considering now there seems to be an 80's resurgence in sounds this album was ahead of the pack. I look forward to the final Sylk 130 installment.

Ever since I bought King Britt's When the Funk Hits the Fan I have been anticipating Re-Members Only. Britt had a number of troubles with Columbia and Ruffhouse with releasing Re-Members so he moved Ovum Recordings over to Six Degrees which is an excellent label with a number of great down-tempo electronic / world artists. With his second Sylk 130 album, Britt successfully captures the feel of 80's R+B and synth pop with some contemporary bass lines. I don't think the song writing is as tight as When the Fun Hits the Fan, there are no tracks like Seasons or Gorgeous, but Britt's production is definately on point. I was pleased to see that Cee Knowledge and his Cosmic Funk Orchestra make an appearence after his hiatus from lime light and Pos and Troy of De La Soul also lend their vocal talents. Grover Washington Jr. can also be found on one of the albums best tracks, For Love. I also noticed that there doesn't seem to be any sampling on Re-Members unlike When the Funk Hits the Fan. Re-Members Only is not an album to be slept on and neither is the single Happiness which has some tight remixes. If you get a chance, pick up When the Funk Hits the Fan also because it has some great R+B tracks with more acoustic instruments. Funk is a beautiful album and Re-Members Only is a great follow-up. The only thing left to do now is to wait for the third Sylk 130 project to drop.Ps- Keep an eye out for Ursula Rucker's album (a fellow aPHILYate to King Britt who did a lot of the production for her album). She'll be coming out of K7! Studios. Also, Britt might release another album under his guise Scuba.

Re-Members Only, is BRILLIANT, I think only true 80's music aficionados will love and understand this album. If you listened to New Wave and Hip Hop in the mid 80's this will make sense to you. King Brit did a great job. He used hit makers from 80's artists such as Martin Fry from ABC and Alison Moyet of Yaz, and reinterprets the sound of the eighties with a contemporary spin. Most of the music is new and original, though he did a remake of "I Cant Wait" originally done by Nu Shooz, and gave it new life.This is a great follow up to "When the Funk Hits the Fan", this musical journey is not accompanied by a storey line, a feature that worked well on Brit's first album. This journey is across the different types music of the decade instead of focusing only on Funk.This album is full of great artists, Grover Washington JR, Kathy Sledge Pos and Trugoy of De La Soul.This album makes so much sense to me.

I can't explain it. I just didn't love it. Maybe I will next year. I give it four stars because it definitely doesn't deserve less than that.