Funk This

November 9, 2007

Title: Funk This
Artist: Chaka Khan
Label: Burgundy
Catalog Number: 88697 09022 2
Date: 2007

There is very little about Chaka Khan that has not already been said. She is an incomparable vocalist whose career spans nearly 30 years. With timeless songs like “I’m Every Woman,” “Through the Wire,” “Sweet Thing” and “Clouds” in her repertoire, she could easily maintain a successful touring schedule by continuing to sing crowd favorites. But rather than rest on her laurels, Khan has continued to be innovative and incorporate contemporary sounds into her music. No doubt this is part of the reason she continues to make new fans out of younger audiences while encouraging her long-term fans to keep up.

Khan’s latest offering, Funk This, is a mixture of vintage and avant guard Chaka Khan. The album reunites her with several musical giants including soul balladeer Michael McDonald and “The Purple One” himself, Prince. Additionally, she does a duet with Mary J. Blige, who many people suggest is Khan’s heir apparent. Previously known for her brilliant covers of songs like “Night in Tunisia” and Prince’s “I Feel for You,” on Funk This she adds her renditions of Jimi Hendrix’s “Castles Made of Sand,” Joni Mitchell’s “Ladies Man,” and Carly Simon’s “You Belong to Me” to the list. But it’s not just the work of others that she revisits—she even touches up some of her own songs from the Rufus and Chaka Khan era, including “Pack’d My Bags” and “You Got the Love.”

The album is good. If you’re a fan of Chaka Khan it’s hard not to like Funk This. The veteran production team of Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis does a great job of showcasing Khan’s vocals and not giving the music an overly-processed sound. Songs like “Foolish Fool” almost sound like a live recording. And classics like “You Got the Love” sound freshened up instead of overhauled. They even do a good job with a Rich Harrison sound-alike, “Disrespectful,” which is jam-packed with heavy drum break beats and horns, and features Chaka Khan and Mary J. Blige singing at the very top of their vocal register. In theory, a song like that might sound like a train wreck, but Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis make it work. But the jewels of the album are the slower and more relaxed songs like “Ladies Man” and “Angel.” The vocal delivery is reminiscent of “Magic in Your Eyes” (from the 1977 ballad album Ask Rufus). Although most of Funk This hits the mark, Khan’s version of “Sign O’ the Times” was a huge letdown. Maybe because she did such a brilliant job with Prince’s “I Feel for You,” she thought she should take on this song as well. But Prince’s original version is classic and unique and should stand on its own.

I can admit that I’m usually skeptical when I hear about iconic artists like Chaka Khan putting out albums with new material. But Funk This gets it right. Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis are accomplished, forward thinking producers who have worked with the biggest artists of our time, including Janet Jackson and Prince. The formula used on this project is a winning combination of the old and the new, from the backing by Rufus guitarist Tony Maiden to the collaboration with Mary J. Blige. The result is an album that has pieces of Chaka Khan that will please and entertain listeners all along her diverse fan base.

Posted by fredara mareva

Filed under: Rhythm & Blues, Soul, Funk