Voltaire Brothers - I Sing The Booty Electric

by Andrew Carver

published: 5 / 12 / 2003

Voltaire Brothers - I Sing The Booty Electric

Label: Fall Of Rome
Format: CD

Six-track debut mini album from ever eclectic and versatile Detroit guitarist Mick Collins new "funk" band, the Voltaire Brothers

Review

It seems like it’s been several years since Fall of Rome started advertising the imminent arrival of an album by Voltaire Brothers, billing it as Detroit underground legend Mick Collins’ “funk” record. Finally it’s arrived, and it’s good, but no one will claim it’s one of Mick’s best. Collins is the best-known name on 'Booty', the main voice, and plays drums, guitar and harmonica, but the primary creative mind behind the project is one J.C. Gray, who gets full or partial songwriting credit on every track except a cover of Ronnie Foster’s 'Funky Motion', a track made famous by Roy Ayers Ubiquity on their 'Mystic Voyage'album. J.C. Gray also played all the bass, and as you’d expect on a funk album, it’s front and centre. The performances on 'Booty' are a little hit or miss, and the switchover from Collins ‘ usually spiky rock’n’roll sound may leave some of his fans underwhelmed; on the plus side, he gives one of his finest vocal performances in the moody 'Which One'. Also of interest is 'Trouble Man Everyday', which funkifies Marvin Gaye’s soundtrack song 'Trouble Man', stirs in some of Frank Zappa’s Watts Riot referencing 'Trouble Every Day' (off the Mothers of Invention’s debut, 'Freak Out') and adds a rabblerousing intro and vocal interludes by the Reverend Minister Doctor Overseer Jamaal Shabaaz X of the “New Afro-Hebraic Temple of Devine Wrath” (the quote marks comes from the liners, which helpfully add that “We bought some bean pies from him and split.” ) As funk goes, it’s not that hard to find better, and the album is short: Six tracks, 32 minutes. But it’s still quite listenable, and when someone gets around to compiling the Mick Collins greatest hits — good luck to whoever gets to arrange the licensing — it will be a grave injustice if 'Which One' doesn’t get on.