Boasting an illustrious roster of artists ranging from Edan, Quantic, MED & Percee P (on the very fitting “Reverse”), The Whitefield Brothers (previously known as the Poets of Rhythm) have engineered a masterpiece of mutated psychedelic funk through their sophomore effort Earthology.

A follow-up installment to their triumphant (and well-received) but largely under-noticed 2002 album In the Raw, The Whitefield Brothers have solidified their underrated sound and pronounced a new depth to their instrumentation by developing their contemporary uniqueness via the creative use of diverse instruments and guest artist contribution.  The Whitefield Brothers, composed of brothers Jan and Max Weissenfeldt are, in the same vein as funk bands such as Breakestra, The Heliocentrics, and Galactic, suppliers of carefully crafted canvasses composed for emcees to enliven. Earthology provides a whirlwind tour of great psych-jazz-funk as exemplified in the jovial “Safari Strut” and the carefree “Breakin’ Through” featuring the immensely talented El Michels Affair, authors of the well-received and recent Wu-Tang tribute “Enter the 37th Chamber.”

The compositions provided on Earthology feel complete with or without the added guest component—the purely instrumental sections are as enjoyable as those with vocals.  The drums kick, the bass lines groove, and the rest of the instruments follow in unison.  The single track, “The Gift,” features the abstract Edan and Mr. Lif providing some vocals, synchronized with the rapid, transformative, and unpredictable track—it is uncut, unrelenting, unadulterated funk.  However, the album isn’t all fast-paced; there are welcome slowdowns as well with tracks such as “Taisho,” “Sem Yelesh” and the Bonobo-sounding finale “Chich.”  This album requires repeated listens to fully appreciate its intricate connections; it has been engineered for jazz-funk fans who dabble in hip-hop, but like all music, can be thoroughly enjoyed by the rest of the curious.  If you fit within this range of genres (all of them), you will undoubtedly appreciate this album to the fullest.  However, in the slim case that you don’t (I don’t believe you), I think this album is a perfect addition to anyone’s collection and reflects the idiosyncrasy of the world in both our reading and decoding of our environments (especially in these present tumultuous times).  Earthology, like its title suggests, is a study of the Earth, -ology, derived from the Greek logos, meaning branch of knowledge—and as such, is an informative journey with countless layers that serve to educate its listeners who pay attention, unwinding its knots to reveal its (in recent memory) unmatched complexity and depth.

The Whitefield Brothers – The Gift (Feat. Edan & Mr. Lif)

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