On the heels of 2022’s The New Mastersounds’ The Deplar Effect recorded at Floki Studios at Eleven Experience’s Deplar Farm and covered on these pages; we now learn that more sessions were taking place there. Floki Sessions: Boots in Place presents an all-star gathering of legendary and contemporary funk and soul artists delivering even more infectious grooves. The core unit has legendary Meters bassist George Porter Jr., Nth Power drummer Nikki Glaspie, The New Mastersounds guitarist Eddie Roberts and Greyboy Allstars keyboardist Robert Walter. Joining them are vocalists Green TTea, Son Little, Lamar Williams Jr. (The New Mastersounds, North Mississippi All-stars), Tierinii Jackson (Southern Avenue), and Erica Falls (formerly Galactic). The three-piece horn section is comprised of NEA Jazz Master Donald “Big Chief” Harrison on alto saxophone, trumpeter Eric “Benny” Bloom of Lettuce, and saxophonist Nate Miller of Funktion. Yes, that’s a dizzying collection of names, most of whom you’ve likely heard in one context or another.
The gritty funk kicks in with Erica Falls singing the title track to Glaspie’s beats, punchy horns, and background vocalists. “Mardi Gras Day” is one Porter Jr. has played countless times and this version, as funky as any, features “Big Chief,” Glaspie, and Walter’s swirling B3. The foot eases off the pedal just a bit for the stomping “Black Apple,” labeled as a feature for trumpeter Bloom, but there is no extended solo. “Everyone and Everything” is a jubilant outpouring of R&B with Lamar Williams Jr. taking the lead, buoyed by the Stax-like horns and backgrounds. “Jardim” is a contemporary slice of breezy R&B with rising Chicago artist GreenTTea on the lead vocal over snappy rhythms and Rhodes comping by Walter.
Acclaimed soul-indie songwriter Son Little brings a bluesy tinge to “Fall Right In,” in a quirky arrangement that has lyrics about the underbelly of New Orleans and some impressive guitar picking from Roberts, and a strong B3 turn from Walters to close it out. It’s the organist again who leads the core band in the instrumental burner “Mud Flap,” where the four individual conspirators are distinctly heard at their sizzling best. We get a breather of sorts as the passionate Tierinii Jackson brings us the soothing standout gospel ballad “Peace.” The horns weave their greasy spell in the syncopated “Jazzmatazz” with Walter stepping out a Rhodes excursion while the core unit swings behind Glaspie’s marching beats in the closing “Pep Squad.”
There’s mention of “the inaugural edition of the Floki Sessions” in the promotional materials, so this foray likely presages more to come. Why not? When gathering so much talent in Iceland, why not stretch it out a bit? If they keep this up, Iceland may rival Memphis as this decade’s preferred destination for recording.
