It may have been nearly ten years since
George Clinton's last studio album, but that doesn't mean he wasn't busy. The multi-ring circus that is
the P-Funk All Stars never stops evolving, bringing new acts into the fold while welcoming back old friends and touring, touring, touring.
How Late Do U Have 2 B B 4 U R Absent? is a bit of all things P-Funk: past, present, and future. Newcomers like
Kendra Foster and
George's granddaughter
Sativa ride alongside tracks credited to
George Clinton,
the P-Funk All Stars,
Funkadelic, and
Parliament with old friends like
Bernie Worrell and
Cordell "Boogie" Mosson returning on some tracks.
Prince and
Bobby Womack both get guest spots, and there's even an appearance by the original
Parliaments! (It's actually billed to
Parliament [and minus
Grady Thomas], but the doo wop stylings are all
Parliaments.) There's a bit of hip-hop, hard rock, doo wop, and straight-up rock & roll, and of course, lots of hard funk. "Bounce 2 This" could be an outtake off
Computer Games, with
Bernie's synth leading the way.
Funkadelic's "Because/Last Time Zone" combines the
Beatles tune with a new track that looks back to "Eulogy and Light" (which is actually quoted verbatim in "Paradigm," the
Prince collaboration). "Never Ending Love" has some nice electric sitar from
Blackbyrd McKnight, while "Viagra" (both credited to
Funkadelic) is a hard rock guitar fest built on a wicked
Lige Curry bassline. "I'll Be Missing You" has nice acoustic guitar and horns, and although
George's voice has weathered a bit, the man can still sing. "Our Secret" has a nice slow groove with tons of guitars in the background:
Mike Hampton,
Blackbyrd, and even
Eddie Hazel (courtesy of some sampling). They do an old-style soul ballad with "More Than Words Can Say" (the
Otis Redding tune) and their cover of "Whole Lotta Shakin'" with
Bobby Womack is straight-up vintage rock & roll with some more great guitar.
Curtis Mayfield's "Gypsy Woman" is remade and stripped down, led by
Eric McFadden's mandolin and
Byrd's guitar. "I Can Dance" is typical
Clinton lunacy, featuring some funny conversation snippets over a super-funky groove. There are a couple odes to smoking: "Inhale Slow" and
Sativa's "Something Stank," which rides on an old-school '70s
Parliament-style groove. Perhaps the most surprising of all is the cover of "Goodnight Sweetheart."
The Parliaments do it up doo-wop style, with skittering electronic beats added on top, and it works way better than it ought to. All in all,
How Late Do U Have 2 B B 4 U R Absent? is somewhere between a sampler of the
Clinton universe and a phone call from an old friend telling you what he's been up to. It isn't the place to start your
Clinton/Parliafunkadelicment Thang collection, but it's a welcome addition after too long away.