James Brown - Soul Power

In 1970, James Brown's uniquely funky soul sound took another trailblazing step when he incorporated young brothers Bootsy Collins and Phelps Collins into his band on bass and rhythm guitar, respectively. Their interplay inspired Brown to focus on guitar instead of horns, leading to the recording of minimalist funk classics like "Sex Machine" and "Talkin' Loud and Sayin' Nothing." A great example of Brown's work from this era is "Soul Power," a tight funk jam that combined Brown's stream-of-consciousness raps with forceful, bass-driven rhythms. The lyrics never really define what "soul power" is but let the listener know that "it's what we want/what we need" and echo the future lyrical style of disco as it exhorts the listener "to get down, down, down, down." The melody is just as simple, using call-and-response vocal lines to create an insistently rhythmic feel. These rhythms also permeate Brown's recording, which is built around a throbbing Bootsy Collins bass line that is layered with scratching guitar riffs from Phelps Collins. The horn section gets in their riffs, especially on a nice jazzy break at the midway point, but the musical spotlight remains focused on the interplay between bass and guitar and the call-and-response vocals between Brown and organist Bobby Byrd. The record was a little too stripped-down and funky for pop success (it barely broke the Top 30) but became an R&B smash, peaking at number two on those charts. It remains a favorite with funk fans today and is considered to be one of the key highlights from the Collins brothers' short-lived but eventful tenure with James Brown.

Tracklist
A1    Soul Power (Long Version)

B1    It's A Man's World (First Version)
B2    Don't Tell It
B3    King Heroin