Quit Smoking Monday

''An amazing new sound from Kokolo -- one that takes their Afro Funk groove, and turns it on a host of James Brown classics -- all with a result that's completely unique! The album's hardly a copycat of James' original style -- and instead, it reworks his funky favorites with a complicated approach to rhythms -- one that shows a rich criss-crossing between JB and Fela modes, almost an echoing amplification of the 70s influences that were passing back and forth between the US and African funk scenes! The vocals are something else entirely -- as rhythmic as the grooves, with a quality that isn't as all-out soulful as James -- but in a good way, as this helps them simmer down nicely with the instrumentation, and throw in a whole new level of counterpoint to the music. We're honestly stunned -- quite surprised and impressed at this turn that Kokolo has taken, reaching forward for a sound that nobody else has touched. Titles include versions of "Mind Power", "The Popcorn", "Soul Power", "The Grunt", "Think", "Bring It Up", and "It's A New Day".''

HEAVY HUSTLING