G. Love--Lemonade

G. Love’s unique blend of blues, rock, R&B, and occasional rap has been pumping out for over a decade. Needless to say, when a band goes for that long, it’s hard to keep things fresh and interesting for the listener, and towards the decline of the 90’s that’s exactly what G/ Love and his Special Sauce was having trouble with. Their sound was rejuvenated however with a record label swap and the release of The Hustle, a return to the grassroots style that G. Love began with. Lemonade picks-up where The Hustle left off. All the songs carry an easy-going, sloppy blues theme, in the spirit of the Dave Matthew’s Band and the Beastie Boys, especially in the solo filled opening track “Ride.” Blues instrumentals are found as well, as piano, harmonica, viola, Hammond organs, and Wurlitzer are added for that special taste. A line-up of guest performances graces the album as well, featuring the talents of Jack Johnson, Tristan Prettyman, and David Hidalgo. The rap in songs like “Can't Go Back To Jersey “ laid over that blues rhythm is a tad silly and laughable, but it’s just subtle enough that you might not notice until the song is half over. While the rap may be good, it’s not my taste, and clouds up an otherwise wonderful blues-rock album. Regardless of whether it’s yours or not, Lemonade features winning blues riffs that follow in The Hustle’s footsteps in back tracking to what made G. Love great.

(Published at ComfortComes.com)