By Thom Jurek
When JC Brooks & the Uptown Sound released 2013 ' s Howl , they were already a band in transition . They ' d dropped the funk showcased on earlier records for an indulgent brand of raw retro-soul . Four years on , the shift is complete . In the interim , the band shed its name , left the Bloodshot label for Rock Ridge Music , expanded into a sextet , and embraced a more polished sound . Jungle is , according to Brooks , an album-length meditation on " one crazy , incredible night out ." He ' s not wrong . Working primarily with producer / engineer Josh Richter at Victorian Recording , Brooks and company fully indulge polished funk , disco , pop , and ... post-punk . What ' s more , despite the name change , Jungle feels more like a band record than anything they ' ve done before -- everyone got in on the writing and arranging .
The title-track opener ( produced by Isaiah Sharkey ) sets the album ' s tone with a humid , analog synth line and hard-grooving hand percussion . The bassline picks the center to start its bubbling , and Brooks emerges with a seductive vocal that draws on late- ' 70s uptown soul before a chunky reggae vamp pushes the entire jam toward silky funk à la Leon Ware . The ( literal ) fingerpopping and handclap beat that introduces " Drive " ( produced by Steve Gillis ) provides a foundation for a driving funk bassline , razored synths , and squalling guitars , with a four-on-the-floor drumbeat . Brooks soars above with an anthemic refrain , underscoring his Eros-laden lyrics . The band reveals its love of Chic and the Brothers Johnson on the dancefloor burner " The Edge of Night ." The gorgeous meld of Prince-esque sex funk and Steely Dan-inspired harmonics in " O . N . O ." is one of the set ' s standouts . The album ' s theme is solidified , as lyrics here and throughout refer to a one-night-only , grab-it-all-and-pack-it-in endgame . ( For all the protagonists know , the world ends when the sun comes up .) The rave-up Prince party strut continues in " Heartbeat ." Its hook is tight , and contains an even more unforgettable chorus amid compressed guitars and loopy synths that zigzag back and forth . Unfortunately , the loose funk-rock vamp in " Fade Away " is more an idea than a song .
The ballad " One for Someone " doesn ' t really belong on this record , despite being a beautiful song . The restrained emotional drama in its first half is consumed by a messy , sprawling arrangement in the second , and there ' s no payoff . Luckily , the punky , jazzy , blues-rocker " Get Gone " and the testifying Johnny Taylor-styled disco swagger in " Watch Me " bring the album fullcircle to end strong . Fans of Brooks ' earlier records will have no trouble enjoying Jungle ' s new direction . What ' s more , the music on offer here has a wider appeal ; it should attract -- and hopefully rope in for good -- a new gang of disciples to convert to their brand of sexed-up , nocturnal musical magic that Brooks and band deliver here with such passion and verve .
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