Junie: "Freeze"

The second Junie album I stumbled upon recently—lovin’ that.  I’ve been wanting to write a song for a long-ass time called “Junie Was A G,” and though I’ve still haven’t figured out exactly what angle I want to approach it from, the central message is absolutely a statement of fact.  While G-Funk resurrected all things Roger, Zapp and talk box, the much earlier experiments of Junie on that most bizarre of instruments/effects remain virtually ignored.  The “Freeze” album is Junie’s ultimate accomplishment in this area, foregoing the psychedelic guitars and Detroit symphony backings of his debut for an early keyboard talk box sound, found here on nearly every track.  Also intact are Junie’s pleading vocals and freakish sense of humor, the latter of which is most evident on the mind-devouring narrative of “Cookies Will Get You.”  Recorded in ’75, Junie creates the Roger sound before the Roger sound existed, and when listening to the title cut, “Super J” and “Granny’s Funky Rolls Royce,” you can’t help but wonder if Roger was playing this record on repeat around the same time.  With “Freeze,” Junie once again proved himself to be in the vanguard of progressive musicality, and it’s time that more folks out there appreciated his forward-thinking artistry.