Funky Papa Does it Well
by Kevin R. Convey • Boston Globe • Boston, MA • March 1st, 2002
Gleefully crowning itself with the New
Orleans funk crown last worn by the legendary Meters, Papa Grows Funk
achieves what appeared to be impossible prior to this debut album. With
notable Crescent City players such as drummer Russell Batiste and Wild
Magnolias guitarist June Yamagishi, it’s no surprise that this
band can play the tight, syncopated and disciplined funk that has made
New Orleans famous.
But what bandleader, writer, and singer John Gros manages accomplish is to integrate
looser jam-band elements into the primal New Orleans mix of R&B, jazz, and
blues without upsetting the tightly wound, often repetitive rhythms and vamps
that make this style distinctive. It’s a feat no other pretender to the
crown has achieved, and one that makes the self-released Doin’ It. (available
at www.papagrowsfunk.com) not just funky, but fresh.