The Budos Band
The Budos Band III
(Daptone Records)

In the mood for something a little different? Why not check out The Budos Band III? Although I don’t have anything else quite like this album in my collection, I enjoyed listening to it over the past week or two. Sometimes, even with all of the new cutting-edge music coming out these days, it pays to take a chance on something from left field.

The Budos Band puts their time and energy into making what they call “Afro-Soul” music. I definitely hear this in their music as well as a strong Latin-American influence with bits of funk and psychedelia. “Black Venom” sounds like something from the ‘60s, mostly due to the pervasive organ throughout this track and most others on the album. A reverby guitar adds to the psych feel while a great horn section carries the songs and provides the melodies.

However, if you’re not a fan of instrumental music this album probably isn’t for you. It really isn’t for people with short attention spans either. If you enjoy it for novelty reasons, the novelty wears off very quickly.

But no matter your musical preferences, it’s hard not to like the last song. “Reppirt Yad” is a very original take on a Beatles song (hint: read it backwards). This usually upbeat pop song becomes a spooky yet funky song in the hands of The Budos Band. In fact, maybe you should listen to that song first and decide if you want to hear the rest of the album. Chances are, it’ll make you pretty curious.