KING KHAN & HIS SHRINES

'What is?!'

Okay, wayyyy late w/ this one, but i've become so enthralled by it's retro goodness that I had to spread the love. I became a moderate King Khan fan w/ the 2004 release of the last album w/ his Shrines, 'Mr. Supernatural'. He did some subsequent work as one part of The King Khan & BBQ Show that was more of punk blues thing...fun, but not funky as I like him.

A tongue-in-cheek retro revivalist channeling the 13th Floor Elevators...a Hindu James Brown fronting a dangerously funky garage rock/show band hybrid...a man who spews musical voodoo on par w/ the late, great Screamin' Jay Hawkins...the King is all that and more. While the last album (much more polished in it's production) leaned heavily on the 70's, 'What Is?!' takes another step back to the psychedelic 60's.

Retaining the funky, horn-laden ethos of the band w/ a garage rock twist, this album is painfully authentic sounding in it's raw production. You can practically close your eyes and see the lava lamp/black light posters and smell the hashish in groove-intensive tunes like '(How Can I Keep You) Outta Harms Way', 'I See Lights', 'No Regrets' and 'Le Fils De Jacques Dutronc'.

Throw in some equally fun moments of soul ('69 Faces of Love') and psychedelia ('Cosmic Serenade')...you've got the blueprint to the best key party and/or clambake EVER. Khan and his Shrines obviously don't take themselves seriously and to properly enjoy this album, neither should you...while the musicianship on display is tight, this album is all about cutting loose.

The album actually dropped back in May, but but better late than never...you can pick up 'What Is?!' and the previously hard-to-find 'Supernatural' on iTunes after you take a test-drive in my samplemobile to the right. Yount!