"Pin
Your Spin" review
All Things Looziane - June 2004
Jon
Cleary and his band, the Absolute Monster Gentlemen, continue to mine
the rich vein of New Orleans funk and soul found on last year’s
self-titled CD. Anchored by Cleary’s pianistic amalgam of the spirits
of James Booker, Allen Toussaint, Art Neville, Dr. John, and other Crescent
City keyboard players, this is a tight band. Drummer Raymond Weber and
bassist Cornell C. Williams create the perfect pocket for Clearly’s
keyboards and soulful voice while guitarist Derwin Perkins and percussionist
Daniel Sadownick add the right spices.
The title track is a sharp funk number that finds Cleary creating a phat
‘70s-style clavinet bass line, providing a superb base for the ricocheting
guitar lines and widescreen vocal harmonies of Cleary, Perkins, and Williams.
Even the somewhat clichéd “Agent 00 Funk” manages to
impress with the way every element seems to fit into a space specially
designed for it. “Oh No No No” is a standout track that successfully
fuses the habanera rhythms of New Orleans pianists from Jelly Roll Morton
to Professor Longhair with a touch of calypso and funk. “Smile In
A While” is reminiscent of a Meters vocal number, with Cleary playing
some absolutely beautiful acoustic piano to accompany the sweet harmonies
provided by Perkins, Williams, and special guest Ivan Neville. “Doin’
Bad Feelin’ Good” maintains a gospel feel throughout, while
“Best Ain’t Good Enuff” shows how church-trained singers
used their vocal talents and tight harmonies to create street-corner soul
singing groups. The closing number, “Zulu Strut,” features
New Orleans drum prodigy Jamal Batiste. It starts with a healthy calypso
tradewind, then becomes a fierce NOLA second line jam. The track creates
such buoyant spirits that when it ends you’ll want to immediately
hit the ‘replay’ button on your CD player. And why not? The
party thrown by Cleary and band is such a good one, you won’t want
it to end.
