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In America (Defunkt album)

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In America
Studio album by
Defunkt
Released1988
GenreRock, funk, jazz
LabelAntilles
ProducerGene Kraut
Defunkt chronology
Thermonuclear Sweat
(1982) 		In America
(1988) 		Avoid the Funk: A Defunkt Anthology
(1988)

In America is an album by the American band Defunkt, released in 1988.[1][2] The band supported the album with North American and United Kingdom tours.[3][4]

Production

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Trombonist Joseph Bowie began assembling a new lineup of Defunkt in 1985, in New York City.[5] The bandmembers collaborated on the songwriting, a change from previous albums.[6] The album was produced by Gene Kraut, who also served as the band's manager.[7] The title track uses samples of American presidential speeches, particularly those of Richard Nixon.[8] "Eraserhead" is an instrumental.[9] "Spiritual Sponsor" is about how businesses manipulate spiritual concepts to sell products.[10]

Critical reception

[edit]
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
Funk7/10[11]
MusicHound R&B: The Essential Album Guide[6]
Omaha World-Herald[12]
The Philadelphia Inquirer[9]
The Virgin Encyclopedia of Eighties Music[13]

The Philadelphia Inquirer noted that "the foundation for the revamped Defunkt ... is Kim Annette Clarke's spandex-style bass, which flits between rumbling bottom and twisted melody lines, and the straightforward drumming of Kenny Martin."[9] The Omaha World-Herald said that the "funky, horn-powered roots rock sizzles under the guidance of bandleader Joseph Bowie".[12] The St. Petersburg Times opined that the band "sounds lean and powerful; unforgiving in its rhythmic urgency; intoxicating with its heady instrumental interplay; bold, cocksure and witty in its social commentary"; the paper later listed the album among the 10 best of 1988.[14][15]

The Times stated that "weighty slabs of extemporization feature plenty of virtuoso guitar soloing in the 'thermonuclear' tradition by Bill Bickford, broken up by pugnacious horn section interjections and underpinned by rapid-fire funk rhythms."[8] The Macon Telegraph and News concluded that "the drums and bass are more jazz than funk, which really sets Defunkt apart."[16] The Morning Call said that "Defunkt's rhythms are jagged [and] the horn work is smooth".[17]

Trouser Press called the album "a dynamic rock-funk-jazz concoction of popping bass, neck-melting guitar ... and Bowie's inventive trombone figures and up-close-and-personable vocals."[18]

Track listing

[edit]
No.TitleLength
1."Smooth Love" 
2."Eraserhead" 
3."A Peace of Mind" 
4."In America" 
5."Change" 
6."Love You from Afar" 
7."Tell Me" 
8."Spiritual Sponsor" 
9."Selfdisclosure" 

References

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  1. ^ O'Brien, Glenn (October 1988). "Glenn O'Brien's Beat: Investigative Funk". Interview. Vol. 18, no. 10. p. 160.
  2. ^ Palmer, Don (September 13, 1988). "War on Poverty". The Village Voice. Vol. 33, no. 37. p. 58.
  3. ^ Browne, David (August 15, 1988). "But We're Still 73 Trombones Short". Extra Entertainment. Daily News. New York. p. 31.
  4. ^ Phillips, Tim (October 13, 1988). "Five of the best". Weekly News. St. Neots. p. 20.
  5. ^ Longley, Mike (July 21, 1988). "Pop". Gloucester News. p. 11.
  6. ^ a b MusicHound R&B: The Essential Album Guide. Visible Ink Press. 1998. p. 158.
  7. ^ "Obituaries: Gene Kraut, Manager". Goldmine. Vol. 30, no. 9. April 30, 2004. p. 27.
  8. ^ a b Sinclair, David (June 25, 1988). "Defunkt: In America". The Times.
  9. ^ a b c Moon, Tom (July 17, 1989). "Defunkt In America". The Philadelphia Inquirer. p. I10.
  10. ^ Moon, Tom (December 24, 1988). "Funk in the New York Style by the Six-Piece Defunkt Band". The Philadelphia Inquirer. p. D4.
  11. ^ Thompson, Dave (2001). Funk. Backbeat Books. p. 300.
  12. ^ a b Healy, James (July 31, 1988). "New Sounds". Entertainment. Omaha World-Herald. p. 15.
  13. ^ Larkin, Colin (1997). The Virgin Encyclopedia of Eighties Music. Virgin Books. pp. 146–147.
  14. ^ Snider, Eric (September 11, 1988). "Defunkt defies formats, is better for it". St. Petersburg Times. p. 2F.
  15. ^ Snider, Eric (December 26, 1988). "Critics put their heads together and come up with the Top 10s of the year that was". St. Petersburg Times. p. 4D.
  16. ^ Day, Jeffrey (August 12, 1988). "'In America' – Defunkt". The Macon Telegraph and News. p. 6D.
  17. ^ Righi, Len (August 13, 1988). "Records". The Morning Call. p. A69.
  18. ^ "Defunkt". Trouser Press. Retrieved November 17, 2024.
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