Inland Emperor

Arguably the most important and longest-lasting group to emerge from the mid-'90s acid jazz scene, The Greyboy Allstars first came together in San Diego, backing up soul-funk specialist DJ Greyboy. Since then, they've extensively toured the world, developed a highly devoted fanbase, and released a handful of excellent albums, including <i>West Coast Boogaloo</i> and <i>A Town Called Earth</i>. This is their first release since 2007's <i>What Happened to Television</i>. It finds the core members (Karl Denson, Chris Stillwell, Elgin Park, Robert Walter, and new drummer Aaron Redfield) continuing to push the boundaries of modern jazz, improvisational funk, and throwback soul, while also incorporating elements from the '70s and '80s into their instantly likable sonic stew. The 11 tracks here take listeners on a journey through the ages. The opening "Profundo Grosso" sounds like a Santana outtake with heavier organs; "Better Get a Jump on It" comes off like Can meets Cameo. "Wandering" evokes a lost Bowie jam, while "Trashtruck" could easily be from Motown funksters Rare Earth.