Album Notes

Macgregor is a six piece band based in the Washington DC area. They play raw, funked-out hip hop beats and top 'em off with jazz-influenced, soul-driven horn lines. Vocally, macgregor's lyricists ride the beats with meticulously crafted lyrics pertaining to a wide variety of subject matter. These lyrics are sometimes melodic and sometimes straight rap, but in all cases they are skillful and easy to feel. Macgregor's live show is full of the type of energy that leaves muscles sore, feet tired, and panties wet. The rhythm section consists of Wax on guitar, Herbal T on bass, and Fraz on drums while the horn section is rounded out by Mike Gutierrez on tenor sax, The Eugenic on alto sax, and Jake Honoroff on trumpet. Wax is the lead vocalist, although Herbal T and the Eugenic occasionally spit and everybody and their mamas does backup vocals.

On "Scatterbrain", MacGregor displays their diversity with songs that range from gritty and raw to smooth and melodic. However, they are still able to maintain a "macgregor sound" all their own throughout the entire CD. This sound can be described as a combination of a driving, funked-out rhythm section; jazz-influenced horn lines; and skillfully crafted lyrics. The rhythm section provides the backdrop for the horns and vocals and the total package creates a soundscape that is quick to catch the listener's ear. Songs like "Colour Me Illiterate" and "American Scu'me" spotlight MacGregor's ability to "rock out" so to speak while "Slow Down" and "Drinker's Antherm" demonstrate a more relaxed side of the band. "P and T" fuses both of these styles. Lyrically MacGregor gets more introspective on "Scatterbrain" than on previous releases, with songs that focus on topics such as love, alcohol, stress, and sex; and there is a heavy sense of guitarist/vocalist Wax's self scattered throughout the CD. Jake Honoroff makes his debut on this CD as the band's newest trumpet player and the horn section has never sounded so full. Overall, "Scatterbrain" is a solid release by a band that is sure to make some major noise in the next year.



"I think this CD is pretty neat!"
-Timmy from down the block