Though Leeds isn't particularly associated with funk, The New Mastersounds may change that. James Brown and Sly Stone can be heard stomping through their hard-hitting "deep funk" sound of this 4-year-old band, and their new release, "This Is What We Do," is a funk-jazz workout that is proudly retro and vibrantly alive.
After gaining respectability through backing jazz funk masters like Lou Donaldson, and popularity through opening for groups like the Greyboy Allstars, NMS have, on their third release, hit their stride. Tunes like "Zambezi" and "The Minx" burn white-hot, while "Land of Nod" and "Tin Drum" groove with mid-tempo openness.
Rather than faking it with sampled and computerized beats, NMS play real instruments. Much like their American counterparts Soulive, NMS know how to work tight riffs and taut melodies into wild, extended jams. "You Got It All" could go on all night with one great chorus after the next. Fun and funky bands aren't meant to be this sophisticated, but with NMS you get both musical maturity and a great time.
