When I want to taste some funk, I listen to Lettuce ‘Cook‘! That’s the latest album the preminent funk torchbearers, Lettuce. Cook is, in my view, one of the top funk albums of the year and worthy of a Grammy. The continuously ups the ante and this album follows in the traditions of Tower of Power, Earth Wind and Fire, Frankie Beverly and Maze and Marvin Gaye while still blazing its own trail. Traces of the past mixed with heavy doses of future funk keep this album fresh through many servings. As usual, the tunes are mostly instrumental and they’re all sensational with the two vocal tracks showcasing Nigel Hall’s vocal’s to the max, especially Rising to the Top. Without further ado, let’s jump in to this delicious album.
Cook isn’t just a nod to Lettuce’s musical heat; it’s an invitation to join the band at the table, where funk, soul, jazz, rock, and hip-hop come together in one rich, flavorful dish. The album offers a menu of delights that marks a group exploring new sonic territory. Still, there’s a generous dose of Lettuce’s patented funk, paying tribute to the great James Brown and his JB’s and honoring mentors like Tower of Power and Maceo Parker. For these six lifelong partners, the new songs feel like a nourishing meal that entices all of your senses.
“This record is a little more three-dimensional than our past albums,” says Deitch. “It shows a lot more sides to the band, exploring further depths of production and arrangements.”
Dish Ingredients and Recipes
Grewt Up jumps off with a smooth horn opening and grooves from the opening gun. Nigel is punching in hard on the B3 and the spacing between the horns and the rhythm section is perfect. Deitch has a brief drum solo sparring with the horns before Shmeeans takes a massive Santana-esque solo.
Clav It Your Way has a telltale title as Nigel mashes up the funk on the clav big time. Zoidis takes the initial foray into the melody before his running mate, Benny Bloom joins in driving ahead. This one has all the jang-a-lang of classic 70s funk. Zoidis has a slinky solo role sprinkled in the first half and then Benny gets the call on trumpet and he delivers in full.
Seshins 1 is the first of four on this album, a brief improvised palate cleanser. The band has used these interludes to seed different ideas and possible future songs on past albums as well.
7 Tribes has a eastern music flair with its ominous bass line and mystical horns. It could easily fit into a spy movie. It has an edgy feel. There are several references to ‘7 Tribes’ in different cultures so I’m not sure which one if any the title references but it definitely has that occult feel. Nigel’s sustained synth with the swirling horns maintain the vibe.
Rising to the Top has Nigel channelling Frankie Beverly with a bit of Marvin Gaye to boot. This one is an incredible groove and has been stuck in my head for days. The lyrics are such a positive message for any day you need a boost. The horn refrain with the “Wake Up” chant is Marvin Gaye transcended. The bass + drum groove is omnipresent and Nigel’s bright keys is a nice short break. It’s totally fitting that Nigel and the band’s ebullient reaction at the end is left in the cut. Totally deserved!
Seshins 2 is another brief spacer and it’s truly spacy with a bit of horn effects as a treat.
Gold Tooth was the first single off the album. It’s got a gritty opening that establishes the theme. The video is fun, presumably, showing the recording in the making. Nigel, playing multiple keys as usual with the greasy horn licks, is a smooth elixir.
Breathe has the classic Lettuce feel, mostly from the Unify-Elevate-Resonate recent era. Nice pocket groove between Deitch-Shmeeans-Maverick, with the lead melody exchanging between the horns and Nigel. The relaxing mood of the nature video accompaniment is a nice touch. The rhythm section bridge has a bit of a reggae feel, with Shmeeans laying down a George Benson-style solo.
The Matador has a Latin flair from the jump with the Maverick’s distinctive bass line and percussion onslaught. This tune is one that I heard a preview of at the Hulaween 2024 set (The Matador Live, Hulaween 2024.) It’s got a great lead theme from the horns. Midway, Nigel has a jazzy piano solo segueing into the back-and-forth parry of the horns with the rhythm section. This is a great addition to the repertoire written by Shmeeans, if I recall correctly.
Seshins 3 is the next palate cleanser, a horn-free, guitar-led groove.
Cook leads with a smashing Deitch solo and the horns having a conversation with Nigel on synth. The swirling horn response is pure funk honey drippings. I just have a visual of Nigel describing the recipe and the horns responding. This one also has the tastiest Zoidis alto sax solo on the album. It definitely deserves to be the title track.
Storm Coming is the most aptly named tune, with its ominous tone and eerie storm sound as the basis. This one fits in well with another favorite of mine, The Budos Band, who personify the dark funk category that this one falls into. Shmeeans opens it up with a single-note dirge, joined by Deitch in a processional march and then Nigel with a single chord progression. The horns tell the story, and we ride along along and the storm arrives. Benny’s muted chants are chillingly good especially when accompanied by Nigel’s choppy keyboard work.
Keep On sounds like Tower of Power from the first drum riff. Of course Adam Deitch was groomed on the band, taking lessons from David Garibaldi at a young age. For me, it’s a full-circle song, being a ToP for more than 50 years and now having my new favorites collaborate with Emilio in fine fashion. The bari sax scoops à la Doc Kupka of ToP are another telltale giveaway. The Benny Bloom solo could fit right in any Tower song. The repeat groove of the song is a cousin of the ‘On The Serious Side” beats. The lyrics are in the slot of the old socially conscious Tower songs. And it’s still brand new and fresh and pure Lettuce, so I dig it.
Adam Deitch calls it “A lil’ tribute to our heroes Tower of Power.” Vocalist Nigel Hall, for his part, says, “It’s a song written from personal experience and about not blocking your blessings. I hope the message in this song is conveyed properly to those experiencing similar feelings. Just. Hold. On.” Erick “Jesus” Coomes expresses a similar sentiment, saying, “Never quit. Always continue trying. Keep up the practice.”
“I’m very proud to be involved with ‘Keep On,’” says Castillo of the track. “I was contacted during the pandemic by Adam Deitch, their amazing drummer, and the idea was to put out a song about dealing with COVID. The song is finally coming out, and it’s a killer funk groove with horns and a soulful vocal.”
Seshins 4 sounds like it could be a theme from Curtis Mayfield in the 7os, not a bad selection.
The Mac is a great vehicle for Benny on trumpet, as he holds the lead for a long part of the intro. The horn line feels like a Funkadelic theme, nice and fat. Zoidis has another solo turn here before handing it off to Nigel on the Rhodes. The hornhead is as sticky as bubble gum and Benny takes it out just as he led it in.
Ghosts of Yest presumably is a throwback, perhaps to the earlier Lettuce song Ghosts of Jupiter. It’s got a blend of flavors, from the dark side bass line to the bright side horn licks, then blends together for a spicy mix. All of the sextet are mixed nicely with clear separation on the jams and then synchronized on the head. It’s a great funk groove.
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