What a blast from the past! American instrumental Funk outfit The Meters debuted with timeless swagger and groove, an attitude still holding up till this day. Kicking off with Cissy Strut, the stage for jiving licks and crafty rhythmic grooves to swoon and croon is set. Boisterous percussion bangs out easy strides for aged guitars and warm bass to bounce off one another with stabs of intricate Funk melody over strutting baselines. Organ keys shimmer and chime in on occasion, with this unshakable 60s psychedelia aesthetic. The influences of Jazz and Rock from the decades past converge here with attitude to form an unshakable Funk sound.
Its instrumental nature leaves much space for guitars and organs to step up into and lead, expressing human instincts like vocals would. The whole affair feels like a loose jam session. The percussive arrangements tend to loop over endlessly as the rest of the band groove around its firm beat. This leads to many moments of magical chemistry but also detracts musically into moods without direction. A fun experience, yet plays without any overarching theme or sense of arrival beyond favorite tracks.
The Meters starts high and ends with another strident show of swagger on Sing A Simple Song. Whats in between is a mixed bag of goodies tiring somewhat with repetitions. The audio fidelity shows its age too. Guitars and drums peak often, tones blemished and of the age but all with a charm to gives it some edge, a punch that makes it stand out. Being mostly ignorant to this era, its legacy and place within the formation of Funk is unknown to me but I love how embryonic it sounds to my ears. Curiously poised for a new decade it sounds like the emergence of fresh ideas.
Rating: 6/10