This Baby's Got Sauce
Hey, G. Love & Special Sauce has been my favorite band since the day I was introduced to them back in 1994. I was hooked when I heard "Baby's Got Sauce". They mix hip-hop, rock and blues into a great original flavor that now many musical artists are trying to immitate. There are so many great songs on the CD and you'll be drawn in. I heard this album first, and then the others when they came out. So, I recommend starting with this one. I think that you'll love the style of these Philly boys. Put this baby in your collection, dig? Peace & One Love.
Refreshing
G. Love (Garret Dutton) and his band, Special Sauce are a somewhat underrated band from Philly that are emblematic (in the best way possible) of the rare musical amalgamation of folk, blues and hip-hop. G's delightful talent is displayed here on his first cd in a very mellow, summery manner. The singles Cold Beverage (for a brief extant it played on a Coors commercial) and Baby's Got Sauce received moderate success, but really, every song on the album is fun and unique, all capable of being singles. My favorite track is probably This Ain't Living, but I really like every song on the cd. If you're in the mood for some upbeat, relaxed tunes, this is a great buy. It will really please you, and it's one of those cds you can listen to countless times without getting tired of it. G sums things up pretty well on the final song as he croons so simply and sweetly, "I know it sounds old, but I love you."
Interesting
The combined effect of smart rap lyrics and acoustic picked bass is an interesting one. this album is a great one, but you have to listen to it in a spread-out fashion. If I ever listen to this album consecutively all the songs start to sound more and more similar until they all mush together, but altogether this album is a gem. Buy it.
A seamless hybrid of several genres
On paper, G. Love & Special Sauce's album sounded interesting - a combination of hip-hop and blues music, with a little jazz and folk thrown in for good measure. Doesn't sound like the easiest thing to pull off, as this could have sounded like an unfocused pastiche that goes nowhere, but the songs are executed quite well - the band sounds remarkably confident considering that this is their debut album.GL&SS's take on the blues is not quite as reverent and pure as someone like John Hammond Jr., but at the same time it's not like the slick roadhouse rock that passes for blues these days. G. Love introduces himself and the band with the brief, harmonica-infused opener "The Things That I Used To Do". Many of the songs on the first half of the album are mid-tempo and bluesy and nicely showcase G. Love's nimble fretwork. The members of the band were all pretty young when they recorded this album (early to mid 20's), so the general tone of much of the lyrics seem to be fun and carefree, some would say frivolous ("Rhyme For The Summertime", "Cold Beverages" and "Shootin' Hoops" are examples), but they nicely represent G. Love's laid-back view of everyday life and provide the ideal soundtrack for pursuits of leisure, be it cruising in your car, hanging out on your front porch, or ... yes, shooting hoops. Elsewhere, more worldly concerns are expressed on tracks like "This Ain't Livin'", a song set to a slower tempo that chronicles the plights of people struggling to make ends meet in the inner city. Also, G. Love's deserves credit for writing a song called "I Love You" that doesn't make the listener nauseous - it brings out his folk roots and isn't nearly as cloying or sentimental as the title might imply, but at the same time it's genuine and heartfelt ... not an easy feat to accomplish.
In summary: An auspicious debut from a band with a very distinctive sound. They have evolved over the years (no two albums sound alike), but I would definitely say that this is the place to start for anyone that wants their first taste of the Special Sauce.
Why haven't I seen it in Woolworths...
Its hard to avoid comparing G Love to other better known artists, but it helps set them in the frame. especially if you have come across this album on a impetuous riffle through, faithfully aided by "recommendations" and "others bought" guides. by now you can't remember what album you started with.
I would suggest holding on and taking some time here, the other reviews are spot on, it's bluesy, some neat jazz overtones, jaunty rhythm and laid back rap delivery. It is a very cool album.
But should you buy it? Or see what else was recommended, maybe something more hip hop, more blues?
When I first heard it several bands sprung to mind, but I got that feeling, you remember the one you got when you first heard Scooby Snack by the Fun lovin' Criminals, or Loser by Beck, or the first time you saw the Sabotage video?
Along with realising you will never be that cool, you had the gut feeling there was a chance you would be perceived that way just for the 3 odd minutes of the track.. Well this album hits that spot, with some added summer.
Its one for THE Collection (the 6 or so CD's you can fit in the glove compartment for long drives) each track holds its own and it wouldn't be out of place next to Digable Planets, Wagon Christ, Johnny Cash and of course Air!
One of my top buys this year, and its 10 years old so already stood the test of time (relative to the present state of the music industry)
With Beck's unexpected commercial breakthrough, everyone's suddenly interested in a new kind of music best described as "slacker-rap." Although it uses the sing-song cadences of hip-hop, it's the polar opposite of gangsta rap; in both its laid-back delivery and self-deprecating lyrics, slacker-rap acknowledges vulnerability and failure. It was done first and best by Washington's Basehead, but it gets an invigorating twist on "G. Love and Special Sauce," the eponymous debut album from this Philadelphia trio.
G. Love not only looks like Michael Stipe, but he has the same mealy-mouthed vocal delivery. If Stipe ever decided to record his first rap album with an unplugged blues trio, it'd probably sound a lot like "G. Love and Special Sauce." Recorded live with no drum machines, samples or overdubs, the album creates a fresh, distinctive sound with its odd blend of lazy rapping and funky acoustic blues. Unfortunately, G. Love's absurdist observations on life aren't as funny as those by John S. Hall of King Missle, and the laid-back minimalism of the music wears thin after a while. Only "Baby's Got Sauce," which boasts a pop hook and a valentine to a domineering woman, holds up on repeated listens. --Geoffrey Himes
