Artist:     Deltaphonic

Album:     The Funk, the Soul & the Holy Groove

Label:     Self-released

Release Date:     4.10.2020

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Deltaphonic’s music doesn’t merely move the listener; it hits like a bucket of ice water. The New Orleans unit mixes funk, a touch of Hill Country blues and a jam band’s freewheeling improvisation to form an exhilarating style that’s uniquely their own. On The Funk, the Soul & the Holy Groove, the core group of Andrew T. Weeks on guitar and vocals, Paul Provotsky on lead guitar and drummers TrentonO’Neal and Claran Brennan is joined by Jerry Henderson on bass, keyboard player Andriu Yanovski and backup vocalist Josh Kagler. The result is a dense, multi-layered sound that’s always anchored by a butt-shaking groove.

Opening track “Liars” wastes no time introducing listeners to the band’s genre-bending style and virtuoso musicianship. Weeks’ scathing indictment of the music industry is wrapped in a massive wall of sound that draws heavily from George Clinton’s landmark work with Parlaiment/Funkdadelic. While Henderson churns out a slinky bass line worthy of Bootsy Collins, Weeks punctuates his lyrics with a quote from the late Hunter S. Thompson, “It’s a cruel and shallow money trench where thieves and pimps run free.” “Ghosts,” a meditation on the fleeting nature of life and friendship, sports an ambitious arrangement with several abrupt changes of meter that again recall Funkadelic at their prime. Provotsky’s warm,expressive guitar solo keeps the tune grounded.

“If It Don’t Bleed” is a high octane mashup of rock and Hill Country blues that takes a few cues from the North Mississippi Allstars. When Weeks sings, “If it don’t bleed/Ain’t worth listening to,” in his inimitable laid back drawl, he’s not only sharing his approach to making music but giving the listener words to live by. On “Starlit,” the band eschews their raw, chaotic energy for a more polished R&B sound. Weeks and Provotsky keep the groove flowing with terse, funky guitar work while Yanovshki’s keyboard riffs give the track an elegant sheen. When Weeks sings, “I’ll be the cherry on your cigarette/If you keep my dreams starlit,” he reveals that there’s a tender side beneath his rebellious exterior.

Deltaphonic digs deep and flies high. For listeners who appreciate music that defies pigeonholing, The Funk, the Soul & the Holy Groove is sure to be one of 2020’s best releases.

—Jon Kleinman