G. Love & Special Sauce

Performer: G. Love & Special Sauce
Engineer: Stiff Johnson
Producer: Special Sauce; Stiff Johnson
Distributor: Sony Music Distribution (

Notes: Personnel: G. Love (vocals, guitar, harmonica); Jasper (vocals); Scott Storch (piano); Jimmy Jass Prescott (acoustic bass); Jeffrey "The Houseman" Clemens (drums, percussion, background vocals). Recorded at Studio 4, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Personnel: G. Love, Aaron Love (vocals, guitar, harmonica); Jasper (vocals); Scott Storch (piano); Jimmy "Jazz" Presscott (double bass); Jeffrey Clemens (drums, percussion, background vocals). Audio Mixers: Diane Zaiko; Phil Nicolo; Stiff Johnson. Recording information: Studio 4, Philadelphia, PA. G. Love first appeared on the music scene in a pre-Eminem era when a white rapper was generally seen as little more than a Vanilla Ice redux, but his 1994 debut album showed that he had more on his mind than being the Caucasian P.M. Dawn. As these tracks make apparent, G. Love (Philadelphia-born Garrett Dutton) was influenced as much by blues as hip-hop. His lazy, drawling rhyme style made him sound more like an early Dirty South proponent than a Philly boy, but it merged perfectly with the swampy blues grooves he laid down on his guitar, which were picked up on by his band, Special Sauce. The collision of hip-hop beats, blues riffs, and Sylvester-the-Cat MC-ing made for an unusual combination, but G. Love's debut was warmly received, laying the groundwork for his future refinement of the style.

Rolling Stone (6/16/94, p.108) - 4 Stars - Excellent - "...Reinventing the blues, G. Love arrives with a message that's far more eloquent--and bone-chilling--than anything the gangstas have said in ages...." Q (7/99, p.142) - 3 stars out of 5 - "...like a lo-fi Fun Lovin' Criminals minus the Vegas but plus a winningly dry wit, the band whip up a sweaty stew of grungy folk and bragging blues..." Melody Maker (7/2/94, p.34) - Recommended - "...This is an album where the blues tradition of John Lee Hooker and Robert Johnson is heard happily chewing the fat with Charlie Parker and young adventurers like the Pharcyde and Beck..."

The Philadelphia-based singer and guitarist has been standing at the intersection of hip-hop, the blues, and white-boy frat-house grooves since the release of his 1994 debut, G. LOVE AND SPECIAL SAUCE. While Love is not above being a bit corny at times ("Cold Beverages," anyone?), he's a true student of the music he uses to create his funky sonic bouillabaisse. And with a backing band (the Special Sauce) as enthusiastic about getting down as himself, Love has been able to sustain a surprisingly long and varied career while maintaining a vision uniquely his own.

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