The Big Crown label continues an occasional LP series in which it dedicates each volume to a different signing on its roster and showcases said signing in a compilation of said signing’s B-sides and rarities. And on Big Crown Vaults Vol.4 that signing is Bacao Steel & Rhythm Band. Of course any normal band on such a compilation would have the decency to provide one, maybe two good tracks, a couple of interesting curios and a remaining balance of filler. Not so Bacao whose own vaults are so stuffed with quality that this pretty much holds its own alongside their four studio albums proper. Indeed if you hadn’t heard the tracks on this set that had previously been heard on B-sides between 2008 and 2023, you could be mistaken for thinking this was the band’s fifth studio album. It’s not, obviously (though such a beast is on the way!) and BCV Vol. 4 will more than keep you supplied with fresh steel drum funk until Bacao LP 5 arrives.
The band’s fans will know that the covers v. originals ratio on studio LPs is closer to 50:50 so one giveaway that this isn’t a Bacao studio LP is the presence of only one original track amidst a sea of covers. That’ll be uptempo b-boy-friendly spy-funk banger Kaiso Noir then, though it has in common with any other Bacao original the ability to stand side by side with any of their covers. Elsewhere prepare for the band to cover everyone from old school funk greats like Bob James (on Nautilus), The Jackson 5 (on Great To Be Here) and Billy Jones & The Stars (on stanky obscurity Look Out Baby (Here I Come)), new school psych-rock-funk greats Khruangbin (on Maria También), label-mates El Michels Affair (on Murkit Gem) and, of course, more than a bit of hip-hop (including Royce Da 5’9″s Let’s Grow) along with P.I.M.P. (Version) a.k.a. the dubbed-out take of the band’s 50 Cent-‘sampling’ second ever single which not only gave a massive boost to the band’s career 18 years ago but recently gave it another one due to inclusion on the OST of French Academy Award-winning movie Anatomy Of A Fall. The monkey’s list of favourites would certainly include a number of the above along with covers of Mtumé’s Juicy Fruit and a very fluid version of Sugarhill’s 8th Wonder. And that still leaves you a couple to discover on your own. Get on it.