Bullfrog Featuring Kid Koala
Montreal funk crew Bullfrog have a reputation for just being scratch DJKid Koala's backing band. It's something they clearly don't mind--the cover of their 2001self-titled discfeatures a sticker with the famed turntablist's name prominently displayed. In truth, though, aside from a couple of frenetic solos and cut-up cuts like "Extra Track II" and a live version of his now-classic "Music for Morning People," Koala's role in Bullfrog is that of just another instrument, not a scratch-happy sideshow. The sextet prides itself on integrating raw funk with DJ action, and this disc, on the Rope-a-Dope imprint, is dominated by lazy, long-limbed funk, with Koala cutting up his favorite thrift store finds in the background. Jam-happy songs like "Ababa" might be repetitive and not particularly groundbreaking and the rhyming of MC Blurum 13 often falls flat, but it's the groove that rules here.--Matt Galloway