BERNIE WORRELL

3 1/2 stars out of 5

David Bertrand Wilson (courtesy of the Wilson and Alroy's Record Reviews website)

Seven years after his last recording with the P.Funk Mob, Bernie came out with a project that featured his music once again. He had been solo work with a cornucopia of artists in the 80's, including the Talking Heads, Keith Richards, the Golden Palominos, Material, and others collaborating with the Bill Laswell gang. Many of those artists returned the favor and helped out on his first solo album in 12 years. A number of notable P.Funkers were on board as well, including Michael Hampton, Bootsy Collins, Gary 'Mudbone' Cooper, Larry Fratangelo, Maceo Parker, Dennis Chambers and Sheila Washington. The result is an interesting funk stew that neatly incorporates the wide variety of musicians present with his own grooving keyboard greatness. Many of the songs recall bits and pieces of past P.Funk works, but Bernie mainly explores rock and reggae here, with a few notable keyboard experiments. Also welcome is Bernie's extensive lead vocal work. His range is limited, but his soulfulness and expressiveness show through well.

"Sing" is a dreamy, funky rocker that really showcases Bernie's singing. "B.W. Jam" is a funky synth jam with an excellent horn arrangement. It recalls bits of "Flash Light" and "Rubber Duckie". "Funk-A-Hall-Licks" is a huge groove, with rhythm guitar master Keith Richards' stinging chords, Bootsy's fat bottom strokes and Bernie's funked-up lead vocals. Throw in Maceo blowing like he knows how and a reference to "Night Of The Thumpasorous Peoples" and you have a great track. "Ain't She Sweet" is a demented synth-cover of a dixielandsong. The best things about it are the percussion and funky bass; it recalls a bit of "A Joyful Process". "Y-Spy" really showcases Keith Richards and the other members of his solo band, the X-Pensive Winos. The sound is almost reggae, with some great chants. "Real Life Dreams" is straight-up reggae, with rhythm kings Sly & Robbie. "Beware Of Dog" is a kick-ass instrumental, a hard rocker (with Living Colour's Vernon Reid) with Maceo blowing again. "Straight Ahead" has some funky clavinet playing and good singing. "Don't Piss Me Off" is very funky, with great singing from Mudbone and a grooving synth bass. "Volunteered Slavery..." is a weird and slow funk/jazz experiment something that would be further explored on later albums. "At Mos' Spheres" is acover of his own song from Funkadelic's Let's Take It To The Stage, a bit shorter and funkier than the original. "Real Life Dreams On" continues on the rhythm of the earlier tune on the album, closing out the theme.

3 1/2 stars out of 5

Rob Clough (courtesy of the Motherpage website)

Keyboardist Bernie Worrell was one of the key members of George Clinton's "Parlaifunkadelicment Thang" and he later went on to work as a sideman with everyone from Talking Heads to Keith Richards, as well as a long series of projects with producer and Material mastermind Bill Laswell. But outside of All the Woo in the World, a tossed-off project which got lost in the glut of P-Funk-related product released in the late '70s, it wasn't until 1991 that Worrell applied his estimable talent to an album with himself as headliner. Funk of Ages is a glossy set of funk workouts and jazz-influenced side trips with an impressive list of guest stars (including David Byrne, Keith Richards, Vernon Reid, Herbie Hancock, Sly Dunbar, Robbie Shakespeare, and Maceo Parker), and while Worrell certainly gives himself plenty of room to show off his estimable skill at the keyboard, he also has the good sense to make room for his friends and collaborators, giving the album the sound and feel of a group effort rather than a declaration of musical independence. In fact, if the album has a flaw, it's that it lacks a central presence giving the material an anchor; this eternal sideman certainly has the skills to take the reins on an album, but this set suggests he lacks the ego to do so (and he's not much of a lead singer). But his years with Clinton and Laswell have taught Worrell more than a little about the fine art of getting a groove on, and Funk of Ages serves up thick, juicy rhythms topped with smart and flavorful melodic support; it's a more ambitious and enjoyable album than anything George Clinton cooked up on his own in the 1990s.

4 1/2 stars out of 5

Mark Deming (courtesy of the All Music Guide website)