Juka Tribe Shines
author: Review by Alex Henderson
Rating: 4 Stars (Out of 5)
In many cases, musicians who insist that their work is “beyond category” or “impossible to categorize” are guilty of wishful thinking. They aren’t as risk-taking or as unorthodox as they would like to think, and their work is, in fact, quite easy to categorize. But Juka Tribe’s Shine is an example of an album that really is difficult to categorize; Shine isn’t impossible to categorize, but it certainly isn’t easy to categorize either. Juka Tribe, which is the group of Birmingham, Alabama-based musician John Scalici, brings a wide variety of influences to the table, including world music (Middle Eastern and Indian as well as African), electronica, hip-hop, blues, funk, jazz and reggae. And if one had to narrow it down and summarize, in a nutshell, what Scalici does, perhaps the most appropriate description would be “world electronica.” Yet Shine isn’t totally electronic; Scalici favors a blend of technology (including samples and programmed beats) and “real instruments.” But like a lot of music that is broadly, loosely defined as electronica, Scalici’s material doesn’t necessarily favor a traditional verse/chorus/verse/chorus format; a Juka Tribe offering could easily consist of a rhythmic groove, beat or theme united with scattered samples, which is characteristic of a lot of electronica.
Shine gets off to a jazzy, percussive start on the hypnotic opener “Butler Blues,” a tune that obviously doesn’t adhere to a traditional verse/chorus/verse/chorus format. Instead, “Butler Blues” has a groove that unites elements of modern Indian and Middle Eastern music with elements of jazz, blues and funk. There are no traditional vocals on “Butler Blues,” only scattered samples. And the tune is infectious, although no less infectious than the tune that follows: “La Hoolio,” which brings together world, hip-hop and blues elements. “La Hoolio” contains rapping in French, bringing to mind the French alternative rap of MC Soleil (one of France’s best known rappers of the 1990s and 2000s). To those who are used to hearing hip-hop in English exclusively, the thought of someone rapping in French or any other romance language might sound strange. But in fact, hip-hop has been wildly popular in France, Belgium and other French-speaking countries for a long time; Paris, Brussels and Marseilles are full of MCs who rap in French exclusively. And on “La Hoolio,” French-language rapping works perfectly well alongside blues harmonica and Indian-minded percussion.
The funky “Mudflap” has a strongly African-influenced groove, hinting at Fela Kuti’s Nigerian Afro-funk as well as the moody, dusky African pop coming out of Mali. But unlike all of the Malian pop that uses singing as its focal point, “Mudflap” is essentially an instrumental groove with scattered vocal samples. “Sandman,” similarly, combines a funky Middle Eastern-influenced groove with scattered vocal samples; “Sandman,” like “Mudflap,” is essentially an instrumental without being exclusively instrumental. And scattered vocal samples are used in a similar fashion on the bluesy “Uncle Pinky” and the jazz-minded “Juba” (which isn’t unlike something the late flutist Herbie Mann would have done back in the 1970s). “Juba” has a strong jazz-funk element.
There is a difference between hip-hop-style rapping and spoken word; Juka Tribe incorporates them both. What one hears on “La Hoolio” is French-language rapping of the hip-hop variety, but English-language spoken word is used on Shine’s title track and “Railroad Park.” Neither the title track nor “Railroad Park” could be described as tunes that are essentially instrumental but use scattered vocal samples here and there; the spoken word vocals are right up front on both the title track and “Railroad Park.” They are prominent rather than being used as a tasty side dish.
Shine is an unpredictable effort; Scalici obviously wanted to try different things on different tracks. But much to his credit, he accomplished that without sounding unfocused. Scalici maintains the element of surprise, yet he never sounds like someone who is randomly throwing things up against the wall in the hope that perhaps some of them might stick. No, Scalici obviously knew what he was doing when he recorded Shine, and the end result is a memorable album that is both intriguing and focused.
Review by Alex Henderson
Rating: 4 Stars (Out of 5)
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