Menahan Street Band Make the Road by Walking LP

Finally back in print! The 2008 debut album of soulful instrumentals featuring members of Sharon Jones & the Dap-Kings, The Budos Band and El Michels Affair. Includes "Make the Road by Walking," sampled by Jay Z in "Roc Boys (and the winner is...)". The song "The Traitor" interpolates the melody from Lupe Fiasco's "Hip-Hop Saved My Life" and has been sampled on songs including "Solo Dolo" by Kid Cudi and "Talking in Codes" by 50 Cent. "Tired of Fighting" has been sampled on songs including "Faith" by Kendrick Lamar, "Flying Iron" by Curren$y and "Not Long" by Ludacris.

All are unhurried instrumentals, and while it's tempting to call this stuff soul, it isn't that exactly. There's a jazz feel here, too, but it isn't exactly soul-jazz, either, and then there's a certain intangible Jamaican dub feel to how things are mixed, but one can't really call it dub, and while things get lightly funky now and then, it isn't funk... and if it's difficult to put a finger on what their sound should be labeled, it's not difficult to like it. The perfect Sunday morning listen.