5.05.2010

"Funky Kingston"- Toots and the Maytals feat. Bootsy Collins and The Roots

THIS IS SO COOL! Usually I can contain my excitement after hearing a great song for the first time, but I am like a nervous schoolgirl around this song. I don't even want to like this song too much because I'm too afraid it will break my heart for someone richer, and with a better car.

Ska pioneers Toots and the Maytals (credited with coining the term "reggae"with their song "Do the Reggay") put out the album True Love in 2004 reprising their greatest hits with a whole slew of the hippest cats you ever will listen to, including No Doubt, Eric Clapton, Keith Richards, Rahzel, Shaggy, and – Willie Nelson.

The guest artists amp up these timeless jams, and each and every one of them dare the listener to get on their level of sizzle. Even so, "Funky Kingston" is operating on a different plane of ill. Featuring Parliament bassist Bootsy Collins and hip-hop immortals The Roots, this song, like a sprained ankle, is nothing to play with.

This song is like a beautiful old Victorian mansion that now can fly. It still has the crown molding on the walls, and original parquet flooring, but now it is the coolest fuckin' house in the world! It has fuckin' wings! How sweet is that!

What I'm trying to say is that "Funky Kingston" is a perfect amalgam of classic ska with just the right amount of funk and hip-hop stylings over the top, showcasing the versatility of the joint. As Mr. Collins said, "Toots, Roots, and Boots/Ain't nothin' but a party, baby".

Could anything be more right?

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