Blueprint

AMG Review of Blueprint

John Bush
All Music Guide

Following on from Jacques Lu Cont's Blueprint mix of 2000, A Guy Called Gerald salutes the '70s funk and soul that influenced him with a mix of the usual suspects (Funkadelic, James Brown, Marvin Gaye, Barry White) and a few surprises (Sylvia Striplin, Cymande, the Whispers, Mtume). Though the selections are all class, Gerald doesn't do much with the mix; in fact, most of the transitions are just plain awful, much worse than if they'd just been played end to end. Fortunately, the second disc features the full versions of most of the highlights: Funkadelic's "(Not Just) Knee Deep," Mtume's "Juicy Fruit," Cymande's "The Message," and the stone-cold James Brown classic "Talkin' Loud and Saying Nothin'."