Five Alarm Funk - Voodoo Hairdoo

Rock In - 3
Waterboat - 3
Keeps Me Up At Night - 3
Voodoo Hairdoo - 3
Ned's Night Out - 3
The Night Time Is The Right Time - 3
Gorilla - 3
Cuban Ballers - 3
Weather Forecast - 4
Rock Out - 4
Total - 32 stars / 10 tracks = 3.20 stars

I picked up this CD because, as my fiancee and I were walking around London's Sunfest, we heard this awesome band playing on one of the stages. We only heard their last song, but they had an incredible presence and infectious energy that had even the most reserved people moving along. So, we asked someone near us with a programme the name of the band, and three times I thought they said "Five Alarm Fuck," which, I thought was an odd think to hear out of the mouth of the 60-year-old woman. Then we realized it was "Funk" and we decided to pick up one of their albums.

This one, their latest (of two), had very little, if any of the spirit that they possess onstage. The first 8 songs are formulaic cuban/funk beats that start off with a quick, catchy rhythm, before a slower bridge that leaves you impatient for the pace to pick up.

The two tracks that stand out are "Weather Forecast," which tries, very successfully for a different, more contemplative tone (although it is still a little heavy on the sax). Unfortunately, this only lasts for a few minutes, before kicking into the same kind of music that permeates the rest of the album.

"Rock Out" is the closest thing to the great music that we heard. Maybe this is the song that we heard. Or maybe, "Five Alarm Funk" can only be properly enjoyed live. Or, maybe you need to have a belly full of pad thai and lemonade on a Friday afternoon. Regardless of the variables, "Voodoo Hairdoo" failed to show, just what these guys can "doo."