Review Summary: Funk never left the party, it’s just chillin’ at the deep end of the pool
Everyone knows about the ‘70s, I mean who doesn’t love that decade? Many of the most respected and revered artists of all time had their heydays in this span of 10 years, and many genres spouted from this span of time, one of particular interest being funk. Funk was one of the biggest and most popular musical genres back in its heyday, with notable acts including Earth, Wind, and Fire, Parliament-Funkadelic, Kool and the Gang, The Ohio Players, and many others rocking the charts and nightclubs of the ‘70s. These days, however, funk just doesn’t get the amount of attention it once did, and when a notable album does come up it’s usually electronic and synthesizer driven, which begs the question, where is the soul? Where are the guitars?? And most of all,
where are the goddamn horns???? This, my friends, is where the Haggis Horns comes in.
The Haggis Horns are a 7-piece band from Scotland that specializes in the subgenre known as “deep funk”. Deep funk is basically the cool kid in the school of funk that all the other subgenres want to be; it’s known for being more soulful, grittier, rawer in general. And The Haggis Horns are one of the most well-known by a considerable margin, considering the band’s members have worked with such well-known acts as Jamiroquai, John Legend, The Roots, Amy Winehouse, Mark Ronson, Adele, Duran Duran, Lily Allen, and Estelle just to name a few of them.
When it comes to their main sound, The Haggis Horns can generally be best described as extremely jazzy funk, but on this album they are much more than that. Here, the Haggis Horns manage to easily transition from fast-paced catchy instrumental jams such as title track ‘Return of the Haggis’ to slower, soulful R&B songs like ‘Give Me Something Better’ to even disco-homages like ‘Digging in the Dirt’ without any issues. This is mainly because of the album’s main centerpiece: the horn section. The guys behind the horns know a good melody when they hear one, and their performance is the driving force behind all the tracks on this album. These are guys who know their instruments and love doing what they do, which translates in the album to a very relaxed tone and a sense of fun whenever the horns are playing. Some of the best moments on this album are the horn solos in songs like ‘I Can’t Stop The Feeling’.
What Comes To Mind is a grand homage to the funk of yesteryear done by professionals. While it’s rawer and carries some of that ‘deep-funk’ edge, it’s more than accessible enough to be played at clubs or with friends. It’s a fun, bouncy, yet relaxed ride can be enjoyed by just about anyone looking for a fun time.
