When the Funk Hits the Fan
On this first volume of a proposed "autobiography" of his listening career, producer King Britt updates the sound of the black radio of 1970s Philly with 1990s rap and production tricks. He makes sonic references to the smooth flow ofGamble and Huffas well as to the drawled proto-rap poetry of theLast Poets, and Britt honors mellow diva disco with a gorgeous, faithful-in-its-fashion cover of "Last Night a DJ Saved My Life." The loops he pulls out of his crates are from a time when black and white pop nourished each other; the album has the deceptively utopian glow of nostalgia, but it radiates with soul and warmth, too.--Douglas Wolk