{"id":1798,"date":"2020-10-26T21:04:16","date_gmt":"2020-10-27T02:04:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/postgenre.org\/staging\/4567\/?p=1798"},"modified":"2021-06-24T16:52:02","modified_gmt":"2021-06-24T21:52:02","slug":"review-bootsy-collins-the-power-of-one","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/postgenre.org\/staging\/4567\/review-bootsy-collins-the-power-of-one\/","title":{"rendered":"Review: Bootsy Collins’ ‘The Power of the One’"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Far too often when people succeed in their field, it becomes far too easy for them to cling to that which brought them acclaim. The best artists, however, are always looking for ways to better express themselves and explore new ideas. Now in the fifth decade of his professional career, bass legend Bootsy Collins has every excuse to rest on his laurels. Instead, as shown on The Power of the One<\/em> (Bootzilla Records\/Sweetwater Studios, 2020), he continues to push the modern style he helped define into other realms to try to find a universal form without labels. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In full disclosure, Collins\u2019 emphasis on a universal idea is nothing new. Arguably funk itself – in merging that historically labeled as soul, rhythm and blues, jazz, and rock – shows a yearning for a singular form. Of course, he has mined this area heavily throughout his illustrious career where he has served at the forefront of funk. You will find him contributing to James Brown\u2019s most intense singles (including \u201cGet Up (I Feel Like Being a) Sex Machine,\u201d \u201cSoul Power,\u201d and \u201cTalkin\u2019 Loud and Sayin\u2019 Nothing\u201d). Later he furthered these concepts on the strongest Parliament-Funkadelic outings such as Mothership Connection <\/em>(Casablanca, 1975), Funkentelechy vs. The Placebo Syndrome <\/em>(Casablanca, 1977), and One Nation Under a Groove <\/em>(Casablanca, 1978). And then, of course, there are his own offerings as a leader, particularly Stretchin\u2019 Out in Bootsy\u2019s Rubber Band <\/em>(Warner Bros., 1976). But even these seminal recordings are just the tip of the iceberg in terms of his artistic expansiveness. In large part, this is due to Bootsy\u2019s broad ethos when it comes to music. As he outlined in a 2011 interview with NPR: \u201cFunk is the absence of any and everything you can think of but the very essence of all that is. And saying that, I’m saying funk is anything that we create in our minds that we want to do…\u201d This mindset has led to collaborations with several rappers and DJs, heavy rockers, and even Bluegrass hero Del McCoury. <\/p>\n\n\n

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