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Sly and Robbie with Amp Fiddler

Inspiration Information

(Strut; US: 28 Oct 2008; UK: 13 Oct 2008)

If you are thinking what I was thinking in reference to the music featured on Inspiration Information, the much-touted collaborative debut between Detroit alt-soul icon Amp Fiddler and the legendary rhythmic backbone of reggae, you might be taken aback by the actual lack of dub and/or roots vibes here. It’s there, mind you, but not in the sense you would think upon word of this surprising combo. But that is not to say the album isn’t good. In fact, it ranks up there with the Fiddler’s best solo work since the keyboard wizard left the Parliament-Funkadelic fold. Sly and Robbie immerse themselves in their unrequited love for American R&B, particularly Motown, as they lay the groundwork for Amp to do his thing across these easy, breezy dozen tracks, the best of which—a cover of his old boss George Clinton’s political romp “Paint the White House Black”, re-titled “Black House” here—could not have been revived at a better time.

Rating:

Ron Hart is currently enjoying his 11th year as a professional music journalist. In addition to PopMatters, he has also written for such publications as CMJ, Billboard.com, SPIN.com, The Village Voice, Gear, Paper, SHOUT NY, Paperthinwalls.com, Blender, Yellow Rat Bastard, Good Times, Paste, and Barnesandnoble.com among others. He is also the editor and publisher of the Interboro Rock Tribune, a free NYC music zine now in its 6th year in print. Please give us traffic on our website at http://www.irtmag.com.


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