It’s been 20 years since the Philadelphia trio of G. Love & Special Sauce first appeared on the music scene with their alternative hip hop, “sloppy” laid-back jazz sound.
Yeah, you read that right—alternative … hip hop … laid-back … sloppy … jazz.
Oh yeah, and they’re very bluesy. And there is a lot of classic R&B in their sound.
Let’s face it, there’s a lot going on musically when G. Love & Special Sauce jam. And there’s not a lot of bands out there that can pull off a combo like that, let alone make it for 20 years since the release of their first album, G. Love & Special Sauce, in 1994.
But in 2014, the band is back with a new album, Sugar, a hot new single, “Nothing Quite Like Home,” and are touring with their original line-up—Garrett “G Love” Dutton, Jeffrey “The Houseman” Clemens (drums) and James “Jimi Jazz” Prescott (bass)—for the first time in eight years.
The group hits Borgata Hotel Casino & Spa on January 3 at The Music Box.
The first single off Sugar is “Nothing Quite Like Home,” a harmonica-laden tune released with a video directed by Grammy-winner Emmett Malloy.
“I had a good idea for a riff off an old hip hop sample which I changed up, flipped upside down and played with slide guitar,” G. Love tells Rolling Stone of the song. “We cut it live with the trio at Brushfire in L.A. and added the ‘B’ section and drum break. I had been talking to Dan Reynolds from Imagine Dragons earlier in the summer about working on something and I sent him the instrumental we cut. He penned the lyrics and sent back a real tight demo over the instrumental. Later I added my vocals and got a helping hand from two of my favorite singers – Ben Harper, who just brought the chorus to another level, and Marc Broussard, who added some nice backgrounds.”
Of course, on tour the group covers its whole history.
At a recent gig at the Chapel in San Francisco, the band played a loose set list that included “Baby’s Got Sauce” from the 1994 self-titled album, “Waiting” from 2004’s The Hustle and tracks such as “Come Up Man,” and “Nite Life,” from the new album. Two encores included “Mom’s a Surfer,” “Rhyme for the Summertime” and “Friday Night.”
Sooo, if you’re in the mood for some alternative hip hop, blues-laden, R&B-laced, sloppy, laid-back jazz played by one of the best party bands of the last 20 years, well, then hit The Music Box January 3 and dip yourself in G. Love & Special Sauce.
Tickets are $45 and $39.50 and available here.