The pure funk . . .
Jan P. Dennis | Monument, CO USA | 01/30/2005
(5 out of 5 stars)
". . . one is almost tempted to say the "ur-funk."
What if one could produce the essence of funk? What would it sound like? My own view, arrived at through not a little struggle, is that it would sound exactly like Robert Walter's 20th Congress disc, Giving up the Ghost.
When I say "not a little struggle," I'm confessing a ham-handedness toward this music that borders on incomprehensible. Bottom line: I don't generally like funk. It's not the music I would naturally gravitate toward. More than that: It's music I would normally avoid.
Nevertheless, intrepid sampler of varieties of musical soundscapes that I am, I felt obligated to explore funk. Yes, I'd heard Karl Denson, the Greyboy Allstars, and some others. But I'd never seemed to fully connect. And, truth to tell, I didn't initially with this disc either. I bought it, listened to it, disdained it, set it on the shelf, and only came back to it just recently.
And was blown away by it.
Whereas I just couldn't access its pure funkadelic grooves the first several listens, somehow, serendipitously, I COULD when I came back to it. Maybe I had a few too many. Maybe I'd slipped into some maudlin judgment-suspension mode. (Yes, I'd had a few too many.)
But I really don't think that was it. By some near-miracle of suspended suspicion, I'd achieved proper hermeneutic access: I could listen to this marvelous music without prejudice, without preconditioned bias. And I thereby discovered its magnificence.
Make no mistake. Robert Walter is a man who knows his antecedents: Melvin Sparks, Fred Wesley, and Mike Clark. That he has transmuted their collective influence into something uniquely and brilliantly his own proves his worth as the reigning funkmeister.
Ignore at your peril."
Give it up for Robert Walters
Karl Kronlage | Woodbridge, VA USA | 11/13/2003
(4 out of 5 stars)
"While listen to Robert Walter's latest CD, I have to keep checking to make sure it's him. When listen to "Bygones Be", I think I have my Greyboy All-Stars's CD in (it sounds like Karl Denson playing the flute). "Bet" sounds like it should be on a Soulive CD. "Sacred Church" makes me feel like I'm listening to a gospel group. Occasionally, I felt like I was listen to a Todd Rundren album. Still, all the songs are strong and flow well. My favorite is "Aquafresh". The only songs I don't care for are "Convex + Concave" (I know it's a hard song to play because each hand is doing something different, but I just don't like the effects of the keyboard. It sounds kind of creepy-like something Magazine would play-and Robert Walters is much better than David Formula of Magazine) and "Circle Limit"-because of the keyboard sound. Still, Robert jams on the keyboards. I also struggled to try in figure out whether I was listening to a guitar riff or a keyboard riff on "Dump Truck". All and all, I'm in awe of his sound (he's got a great backing band with Cochemea Gaselum and Chris Stillwell). The only keyboard player that blows Robert Walters away is Jools Holland, but he makes the mistake of trying to sing. If you like Robert Walter's, buy this CD-it might be his best."
Um...Robert?
J. Frankel | CT , US | 11/08/2005
(3 out of 5 stars)
"I can't possibly hate on Mr. Walter in these musically depraved times, but uh yeah, Giving Up The Ghost kind of sums it up. The Ghost being the funk that Mr. Walter was helping to keep alive. The 'Giving Up' on keeping it real and organic, in favor of bowing to the Yamaha's eletronic sounds and effects.
Robert's beauty is Rhodes, Clavinet, electric paino etc - stretching out in the studio with a wall of keys in front of him, freaking on each one like a mad scientist. Ain't no need for this dude to synthesize.
This album isn't all bad. The grooves are tight and the rhythm usually has bottom. But I'd definitely recommend starting at the 1st 20th Congress Album or his first ever solo record with Gary Bartz."
Track Listings (12) - Disc #1