Tuxedo
Tuxedo (Stones Throw)
Reviewed by Thomas Fawcett, Fri., March 20, 2015
Tuxedo
(Stones Throw)Dam Funk has started to rub off on his Stones Throw labelmates. Soul man Mayer Hawthorne and A-list hip-hop producer Jake One team up as Tuxedo, a disco-boogie and Jheri curl funk project that's catnip for DJs. Nearly every track will fill a dance floor – club or wedding – even if this isn't an LP bearing repeated spins at the cut. "Number One" is a brilliant bit of reverse sample jiu-jitsu, the hypothetical source track for Snoop Dogg's "Ain't No Fun (If the Homies Can't Have None)" and a PG version of the bawdy G-funk classic. That's the only explicit rap reference on the disc, but its influence ripples throughout. In addition to copious amounts of Cameo, Chic, and Shalamar, Jake One obviously bumped Nate Dogg while getting into a "Tuxedo Groove." Timeless? No, but go make out on the dance floor. (Fri., 11:10pm, Empire Garage)
