Gettin' Down To It

Performer: James Brown
Producer: James Brown
Distributor: Universal Distribution

Notes: Personnel: James Brown (vocals); Marva Whitney (vocals); Kenny Poole, Lee Garrett (guitar); Frank Vincent (piano); Lee Tucker (bass instrument); Dee Felice (drums); Dee Felice Trio. James Brown recorded the pet project Gettin' Down to It in Cincinnati, OH, at King Studios, between December 1968 and March 1969. Although you can't tell by the album's title, it reflects Soul Brother Number One momentarily stepping back from the fiery racial and political atmosphere of the times. Following the murder of Martin Luther King, Jr., the riots sparked by that event, and his calming effect on it, Mr. Dynamite replaced "Say It Loud (I'm Black and I'm Proud)" with his love of standards utilizing the melancholy phrasing of his favorite male vocalist, Frank Sinatra. Aided by the acoustic piano trio led by Dee Felice, Brown tackles such romantic chestnuts as "Strangers in the Night," "That's Life," "It Had to Be You," "Willow Weep for Me," and "All the Way." Although laid-back could be applied to the album's overall tone, these 12 tracks are by no means "mellow." After all, this is James Brown! For instance, "(I Love You) For Sentimental Reasons," clocking in at 7:40, combines pianist Frank Vincent's percussive vamping with James testifying as if he had this tune confused with "Ain't It Funky Now." While the disc is made up of mainly standards, that doesn't stop Brown from including two of his compositions, "Cold Sweat" and an instrumental take of "There Was a Time," reworked to fit the album's easygoing mood with jazzy elements intact. Even though there aren't any bonus tracks, this Verve reissue does include the original packaging and liner notes with Marc Eliot's insightful addendum tacked on. A curious entry in the James Brown catalog, Gettin' Down to It is a savory listen. ~ Al Campbell Along with SOUL ON TOP, GETTING' DOWN TO IT is one of James Brown's often-overlooked late-1960s forays into jazz. While the Godfather of Soul, backed by a piano trio, doesn't leave his boundless energy behind here, he is clearly in a more laid-back mood throughout most of this 12-song set, channeling his idol Frank Sinatra on tunes such as "Strangers in the Night" and "It Had to Be You." Though some of these songs work better than others, the conceit is undeniably interesting, and Brown hits the most impressive notes on a rollicking reading of "That's Life" and a beautifully gentle take on "All the Way." Not a disc for the casual Brown fan, GETTING' DOWN TO IT serves as a fascinating detour on the beloved performer's singular career path.

Mojo (Publisher) (p.144) - 4 star out of 5 -- "Best of all...are Mr. Dynamite's finger-clicking jazz versions of his funk classics, 'Cold Sweat' and 'There Was A Time'."

The unrelenting intensity of James Brown's music has made him one of the most recognizable and influential performers since the 1950s. Starting out as a gospel singer, Brown soon switched to R&B and started scoring hits. As the '60s progressed, the self-proclaimed Godfather of Soul transformed the sounds of R&B into a tight, driving style that helped lay the foundations of funk. Personal troubles over the following decades threatened to sideline the ever-impassioned Brown, but he repeatedly bounced back. Countless JB samples--credited and uncredited--found on rap and hip-hop records testify to his enduring influence. The Godfather of Soul passed away on Christmas Day in 2006.

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