FUNKY MAMA “SING!”
The Sound: A soulful, soaring voice atop polished bluesy rock-n-roll, with just a smidge of “diva” (in the delivery, not the attitude).
In the Cafeteria, They Sit With: Vocally, there’s no one in the kid’s music community that can be compared to Funky Mama. Her voice comes from a higher place. That’s not to say she’d be all alone at the lunch table, she’s far too friendly for that to happen. Musically, the Little Monster Records compilation “Soulville” comes closest, but really it’s not even that close to Mama’s brand of delta-blues kiddie rock.
Best Moments: “Bananas Foster”, a tune co-written with Ezra Idlet of Trout Fishing in America backstage during the 2009 KC Jiggle Jam, is the album’s standout track. It’s a little dirty, a little groovy and it packs the disc’s finest lyrical punch with the chorus “you get the butter baby / I’ll get bananas / and we’ll light ’em on fire down in Louisiana”.
The Grease-esque arrangements on “Big Brother” will take you back to an era of drive-in’s and poodle skirts. With it’s ample dosage of sibling rivalry and family nitpicking, it’s the kind of song any lil’ sister (whether still a kid or all grown up) will appreciate. That the kid sis is always destroying brother’s toys is just gravy.
Funky Mama aka Krista Eyler is such a talented vocalist that her versatility as a songwriter may sometimes fly under the radar – it shouldn’t. To help make that case, I gleefully submit the Ronnie Hawkins strut of the rhythm section on “Farmers Children” and the Tito Puente inspired “Squaretangle” as exhibits A & B.
Bonus Thoughts: Sample all of the tracks on “Sing!” here.
Bonus Bonus Thoughts: Catch Funky Mama live at the 2010 KC Jiggle Jam!
Okay, Time to Wrap it Up with a Nice Little Bow: One really cannot bang on this particular drum enough: Krista Eyler’s voice is a supremely powerful instrument. It’s what you will carry with you when the album is all through. Heck, it’s the kind of voice you’ll imitate in the shower, one with a huge range of emotive expression. Personally, I prefer when her singing veers towards the playful rather than the fanstastical. Fortunately for me, and for you if you agree, Eyler is having a grand ol’ time on “Sing!” It’s likely that you and your family will share in the fun and Sing! along as you listen to this impressive batch of tunes.
Buy “Sing!” directly from Funky Mama.
*Funky Mama “Sing!” was provided to OWTK for review. The opinions expressed above are unbiased and true – no arm twisting took place in the review process.
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