From the opening salvo of the record’s first track “Shooby Shooby Do Yah!” in which 1930s big band horns are met by the syncopated rattle of a tambourine, it’s apparent that the Mocean Worker feel-good brand is intact. Joined by a divers cast of special guests, including Lyrics Born, Mindy Abair, Bill Frisell, Charlie Hunter, John Ellis, Hal Willner and Rahsaan Roland Kirk, Mowo! brings the funk in all manner of delectable shapes and sizes. Whether crossing swing era rave-ups with ‘70s rare groove (“Do Like Ya Like”), Les McCann meets Marvin Gaye-flavored house party, soul jazz (“Sistas & Bruthas”), North Cali hip-hop with ‘50s hard bop (“My Own Little World”) or injecting deep house with Nuyorican rhythms (“Out There In The Random”), the beats are infectious, the hooks irresistible and the attitude always cheeky.
First single “Shooby Shooby Do Yah!”: http://soundcloud.com/calabro-music-media/shooby-shooby-do-yah
