I forgot which funkateer started a thread here about him, but I finally got my paws on a couple of his cd's. The first one I purchased was Black Orpheous.



Now this cd is solid! The first track is wicked! It's an exotic twist on funkadelia. For some reason it's hauntingly similar to Expert Lover. But I can't really put my finger on why that is. The only conclusion I can make is that there's a flute in Keziah's track that sounds like the Flute on the intro to Expert Lover.

Anyways, with the expection of a really tight afrobeat track the rest of the disc is filled with melancholic funk. I haven't made a decision on how I feel about his falsetto, yet. I'm thinking I like it, though it doesn't sound natural sometimes.

The second disc I puchased was Liquid Sunshine.



This was an earlier release of his and I've only been able to dig into it a couple of times. This definitely is a less mature Keziah, it comes across in his arrangements and lyrics, it's saving grace is that it's very experimental and that I like!

Who knows maybe after a couple more spins I'll be digging much more.

For anyone seeking out these disc, be warned that they'll set you back about $40 bucks. OUCH!!! But, I was able to find some used copies in excellent condition on amazon for about half the price. You can also hear samples of these disc at amazon. I will say that Black Orpheous is a solid investment for anyone looking to add some funk to their library.

Ouch indeed!

Yes Keziah is a man unto himself, totally unique sound and certainly funky. Not damn funky, but definitely funky...very much influenced by his African roots. Black Orpheus is great, I love it. You should get your paws on 'Blufunk is a fact!' as well... that's where it all started.

I'm really surprised he's not that well known in the UK (or US?), only mainland Europe. Have you tried www.amazon.fr or www.amazon.co.uk to see if it's cheaper to have them shipped?
[Edited 2/10/05 10:17am]

I love this man, his music is a mix of soul, rock, funk and afrobeat. I love it....

Taureau said:

I'll have to look into BluFunk. And No I paid about $35 for both cd's used, but new they would've been about $40 a piece.

Yeah, you would think he'd be a lot bigger over here. I might get slapped for this, but he's not much different from Van Hunt.

sinisterpentatonic said:

I haven't heard Van Hunt, and I have no idea who came first, so I wont assume the slapping stance just yet

Taureau said:

Damn, bruh you haven't heard Van Hunt's cd yet?! Dude run your ass out to the wrecka stow!

sinisterpentatonic said:

for real? sure Ive heard of him, but I mean, D'Angelo, Maxwell, Amp Fiddler are all cool. You reckon I'll dig Van Hunt too? damnit I'm started to get old and out of the loop.

Taureau said:

Yup! he's part of the family.

sinisterpentatonic said:

I have a new(ish) CD to get at last!

Taureau said:

Yeah and it doesn't cost forty bucks!

who started a thread? It was yours truly. When "blufunk" came out my band and I didn't know anyone who heard of Keziah, so we did the entire cd live at a number of gigs and the crowds went wild. Everyone thought we wrote the songs. We announced Keziah his credits, but no one paid any attention cause no one heard of Keziah Jones. Now of course we put in four more tablespoons of hardness[twin half-stacks of marshalls]. If anyone is interested in obtaining a video contact me.