Free Nationals - Free Nationals

The Guardian 60

(Empire/OBE)
The slinky, funky debut album by Anderson .Paak’s live band evokes gas-guzzling 70s cars with shag pile carpets

The debut album by Anderson .Paak’s live band sounds like what it is: an album by his crack musicians made (mostly) without the singer-rapper. As with many of the grooves the LA quartet lay down, Kelsey Gonzalez (bass), Ron “Tnava” Avant (keyboard/vocoder), Callum Connor (drums) and José Rios (guitar) pay conscious homage to the giants of funk and soul – most notably Stevie Wonder and Curtis Mayfield. The slinky harmonies are reminiscent of the Stylistics. There are funky drum beats, sci-fi synth noises, fat basslines and soulful melodies that all evoke gas-guzzling 70s cars with shag-pile carpets.

The Guardian 60

(Empire/OBE)

Even in this era of guest spots and collaborations, it’s hard to think of another album that unites reggae singer Chronixx with Unknown Mortal Orchestra and the late Mac Miller. All crop up on this squelchy retro-funk outing by Free Nationals, otherwise known as Anderson .Paak’s backing band.

There’s just the one guest spot from .Paak – a tune called Gidget, which references a fictional 1960s female surfer. And while this album’s rotating mic-spot keeps things moving like a playlist, the memorability of these tracks bobs up and down like the waves off the coast of Free Nationals’ native California.