Country Funk Volume - 2 1967 -1974

With lesser known acts rubbing shoulders with household names, this is another fine compilation from Light in the Attic. There are soulful country vibes aplenty but it's not as funky as the first volume. Nonetheless there's still an impressive and diverse array of songs on offer and much to enjoy.Billy Swan opens the album with a dramatically re-worked cover of Elvis' 'Don't Be Cruel' where he slows thing right down - it works perfectly and it very soulful (but not funky!). Bobby Darin's 'Me and Mr Hohner' is underpinned by a heavy bass line and takes in a cool organ break and Jackie Deshannon's turns in a powerful cover of 'The Weight'. Lady of the moment Dolly Parton gets happy on the up-tempo 'Getting Happy' (check out the sample friendly percussion and bass break on the intro) and 'Rising Sign' by Jim Ford sounds like deep southern fried Sly and The Family Stone and it's the best song here.Clocking in a couple of minutes shy of the hour mark, special mention must be made of the sound quality - it's superb. Where other labels fail with the mastering, LITA releases always sound amazing. Housed in a sturdy gatefold cardboard sleeve alongside a booklet with original release details and images of record sleeves, there's little in the way of liner notes but I suppose the music speaks for itself. Put on your headphones, turn up the volume, kick back and enjoy!

The law of diminishing returns suggests that this second collection of tracks in the Country Funk series should be a bit ropey but, hell, here's the exception to the rule. If anything, this is an even more potent funk gumbo than the first.There are some seriously low-down tunes on here and special note must go to Bob Darin's ode to his harmonica `Me & Mr. Hohner' which is all seedy streetlife and police hassle & Jim Ford's `Rising Sign' has one of the nastiest grooves I've heard in a long while. The incongruous opening track is a stunning reading of Elvis' `Don't Be Cruel' which appears to have been prescribed a course of serious downers and while not being possessed of `the funk' is one of the highlights here. Even Dolly Parton's `Getting Happy' is a surprisingly strong entry and my only criticism of both this and its predecessor is the lack of balance in offering female talent. Where some of the previous LP came across as a bit novelty and cash-in, every single track on here is killer and won't have you touching the skip button.All in all, across 17 peerless tracks, to these ears you've got a contender for compilation of the year which will also miraculously transform whatever vehicle you're driving into the General Lee. Indispensable.

Light in the Attic brought out some heavy hitters for their second volume of Country Funk. First off the sound is remarkably crisp and clear and the basslines shine trough.Billy Swann starts the proceedings with an ultra slow rendition of Don't be cruel. Followed by Bob Darin's Me and Mr Hohner a second track off his Commitment album. This a harmonica ditty with a killer bassline.Dolly Parton is represented with a happy song called Getting Happy and Jackie Deshannon covers The Weight. Dillard and Clark cover Don't let me down.Jim Ford's Rising Sign is probably the best one and also of interest is Donnie Fritts' Sumpin Funky Goin On.Of the more popular songs on here are JJ Cale's Cajun Moon and Willie Nelson's Shotgun Willie.All in all an excellent compilation of country funk.One can only hope that Volume 3 will appear sooner than the two years it took for this one to be released.

Great stuff. A bit hit and miss but some really cool tunes on here. I would advise downloading both volumes and choosing your own faves to make a nice CD.

Great follow up - even better than Vol 1

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