This live EP from the Long Island, NY-based Kelly Project is intended to showcase the band's fusion of funk, jazz, rock, and R&B stylings. If that sounds like Tower of Power, it should, as these songs carry that exact same highly percussive, horn-centric sound. Unfortunately, there's no one here with the sweet voice of Lenny Williams to complete the sound; indeed, the strained and unsteady vocals of bandleader Mike Kelly are the band's biggest drawback. The four songs included on this record, alternately known as Live on DVD.CD, are spirited but incomplete affairs, with tight riffs that never seem to build to a fulfilling climax. "The Hunger" starts strong but veers into furtive and hesitant directions, leaving an unsatisfied taste in the mouth. Also unsatisfying are the lyrics, which consist of highly repetitive, mildly socio-conscious rants like those of the bygone Electric Flag. The brass is pristine, though, particularly Joe Galante's trumpet work on "Sounds Sweet," a watery solo that would do Herb Alpert proud. The members of the Kelly Project are fine musicians, but their incomplete songwriting and imprecise vocals render this record an inessential funk-fusion exercise.
© Joseph McCombs /TiVo