Top Ten Most Bumping Album of All Time (Part 4)

In the next part of my "Most Bumping Albums" series, I took a look at a mix tape by DJ Kraz.

Kraz, better known as Eric Krasno, earned my admiration initially with his jazz/funk three piece, Soulive, and then completely floored me with his super funk outfit, Lettuce.

Recently, I've added DJ Kraz to the increasing number of Krasno projects I love. "The Royal Funky President" was a mix tape Kraz created and gave away for free on the Internet.

Out of the gate, James Brown hit with "Funky President." It's not only the inspiration for the mix tape's title, but a great indication of what was in store. From Brown's energetic vocals through the guitars, horns, bass, and drums, every bit of this song was designed to be crisp, delicious funk.

The seamless transition into "Apache" by the Incredible Bongo Band demonstrated the smooth nature of Kraz's style ... I'm ashamed to admit that I had a strong longing for the Sugar Hill Gang to break in with "Jump on it," but settled for another nearly subliminal change into Earth Wind and Fire's "Africa."

The light horns drifted atop a chugging funk groove, that sweetened the sound before Soft Soul emerged with a tune called "Lavell Kamma." Soft Soul had a similar style to James Brown, and I momentarily mistook them for the Godfather.

The subtle scratches Kraz used, to progress into "Afro Sheen" by Soulive bandmate Neal Evans, were well-planned and worked well to move into the upbeat instrumental. When it fell into the beginning of Lettuce's "Sam Huff's Flying Raging Machine," the funk flood gates fell wide open. The perpetual bass, tight horn lines, and slick instrumental work showcased one of today's heaviest funk hitters.

James Brown's "Since You've Been Gone Interlude" snuck up on me and I was almost half way in before I realized it. Kraz had a keen ability to mix Lettuce into JB without missing a beat. The same was true of the move to Dyke and the Blazers' "Let a Woman Be a Woman." Throughout the album there were no breaks between songs, and each song flowed methodically and logically into the next ... all bumping.

Sharon Jones and the Dap Kings were next on the agenda with "Nobody's Baby." Her powerful voice was filled with classic doo-wop soul and created a cool vocal feel that morphed slightly into The Meters' "People Say." The bass line on this tune was funky, round, punchy, and svelte. Excellent tone.

The shift into Q-Tip's "Ride" introduced the first hip-hop song of the album. The lyrics emphasized a link between a wide range of musical influences ... an aspect that likely appealed to the versatile Krasno.

The tune shuffled forward towards a new groove which turned out to be Marva Whitney's "It's My Thang." I hadn't noticed the layered guitar and horn riffs until this mix tape, which Kraz adds to with distinct horn lines from "The Last Suppit," the next tune. The Lettuce tune featured a tasty Krasno guitar solo, and I felt like I was listening to the musical equivalent of the movie "Inception." It was Krasno playing Krasno playing ... Mind blown. Ho ho.

When I gathered myself enough to move on, I was pleased with the gimmicky synth funk of The Blackbyrds' "Rock Creek Park." Common's "Funky for You" provided punctuation to the flow of the album like a comma in a run-on sentence. The beat jumped out of what was a fairly streamlined rhythmic theme.

Sylvia's Johnson's "The Love You Left Behind" had that authentic 70s disco-funk party vibe, and was driven by a sleek syncopated rhythm. The overlap of drums appeared to usher in a pleasant surprise, "Everlasting Light" by The Black Keys. I don't know why I was so surprised by an appearance by the Black Keys ... Once I heard the tune it made perfect sense that it fit with the mix. I was late to the Black Keys party, but no fear, I made it eventually.

The segue to Pete Rock's "Play Dis Only at Night" was one of the more interesting ones ... The beat crept in before the rest of the song, and when it finally hit, the keyboards left me with the west coast hip-hop vibe, but rather than funky fresh lyrics, I found an ambient groove worthy of the album.

The lyrics and horn sample from Talib Kweli's "Move Somethin'" broke in before Pete Rock had filtered out. Talib's smooth style floated with the bumping bass line and led to the even better bass line of "Funkify Your Life" by the Meters, absolute legends of funk. This tune had the signature bouncing bass and heavy synthesized vocals of late 70's funk.

The next song, Jay-Z's "Empire State of Mind" started somewhat abruptly in comparison to the rest of the blended changes. Krasno's affection for NYC was obvious with that selection. Ledisi's "Knockin" stepped up to replace Jay-Z's raps with a sound that reminded me of a funky Macy Gray. I loved the energy of this tune. Pure pep.

The Beastie Boys "Pass the Mic" surprised and delighted me. I didn't remember seeing it in the song list, and was elated when the tune came up. Kraz efficiently mixed it into Fyre Dept's "Fever."

I thought about the way each of these songs must have influenced Krasno as an artist, and definitely saw the connection between Krasno's style and many of the artists he played on this album. His appreciation for the history of funk, soul, and hip hop was evident as he led me through a smorgasbord of tasty grooves.

J. Dilla's "Workin On It" caught my attention as an influence immediately. His blend of jazz, hip hop, funk, and more in his production was similarly diverse for the genre. Kanye West hit out of nowhere with "Flashing Lights" and for the first time I found myself nodding my head to the rap star with a tendency to stick his foot in his mouth. Once again Kraz's DJ prowess exceeded my expectations as Fyre Dept's "Lost and Found" lept into the groove and casually took over. The bass line to this song also had an extremely danceable low end.

The last minute of the groove rested beneath "99 Problems" by Jay-Z. While I listened to the rap song, I realized how many times the bass and drums had dominated the sound, and was confident I could say this album bumped from the opening notes through the closing number, James Brown's "People Get Up & Drive Your Funky Soul."

Bookended by the Godfather of Soul, this entire mix tape was packed with super funky flavor, and was more bumpin' than the bumper cars at Hershey Park. Check it out ... After all, it is free. Just search for "Royal Funky President," and if you like what you hear, be sure to check out Eric Krasno's other work, "It's All Phenomenal."

 Stay Tuned for next week as we explore the #7 Most Bumping Album of All Time: 311's "Grassroots."