Gritty funk heaviness from King Hannibal AKA The
Mighty Hannibal, who, sadly, passed away this last month. Hannibal’s larger-than-life performance
aesthetic, combined with his willingness to address social issues in many of
his songs, make him an important figure in the history of soul and funk, and
make his a legacy worth examining. This
album, which he cut for the Aware label in 1973 under the “King” Hannibal
moniker, is his sole long-playing effort, with the rest of his material being
released in the 45/singles format. Adding
to Hannibal’s already formidable presence are other great, underground funk
names like Lee Moses (anybody who’s got a line on his “Time And Place” LP hit
me up ASAP) and Herman Hitson on grungy guitars. At times the music drifts into mellow
Southern soul, and at other times it’s full-on funk-rock more indebted to
Funkadelic, but even on the slower numbers, the psych-fuzz guitars wash over
everything, leaving a delightfully hazy gauze perched atop the simmering
rhythms. My choice tracks are the funk
stormers—“I Got That Will,” “The Truth Shall Make You Free,” “Wake Up”—but I
also dig the dreamy psych-soul of “Party Life,” and the dark, desolate
gospel-blues meditation “Hymn No. 5.”
It’s a shame Hannibal only ever got around to releasing this one
complete record; to listen to it, he surely had many more like it waiting in
the wings. Thank goodness he did this
one, though.
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