Parker is a funk saxophonist, known for his work with James Brown, Parliament, and, in recent years, Prince. Dude can blow and knows the funk genre inside and out. It's amazing how Maceo can solo with the same four notes over and over again and yet not be boring in the least. My only problem with this CD is that Parker occasionally tries to blend funk and hip-hop. It's an obvious pairing; it just isn't for me. The rap vocals are credited to Corey Parker, which I can only assume is Maceo's son and this release was meant to introduce the music world to his vocal stylings. Parker and the band are great and I've got no complaints there, I just wish this album had more Maceo and less rap. Better yet, let's have a purely instrumental funk album. Interesting side note: background vocals are most tracks are credited to Kara DioGuardi, so apparently she really did work in the music industry before "judging" on American Idol.
Peak on the US Billboard Top 200 chart: Did not chart
Tracks: Most are ruined by Corey's rapping, including Marvin Gaye's Let's Get It On (sacrilege!). Much better is the cover of Gaye's Inner City Blues. Other keepers are Uptown Up and a cover of Sly Stone's Sing A Simple Song.
Personal Memory Associated with this CD: The 4th track, Elephant's Foot, is a novelty song with lyrics that tell the story of a man who goes to the zoo and tries to teach the elephants some slick dance moves. The chorus has simple lyrics: "Elephant stepped on my foot!" My oldest son loved this song when he was 3 or 4 years old. We'd sing it and dance in the living room. Good times.
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