L.A. funky reggay supergroup Night Owls strike gold again on their new 45 (like you expected them to do otherwise!) – the final one in their second collection of 7″s, arriving ahead of the LP featuring all of said singles later in the year. For the new release they once again tap the rich vein of New Orleans funk and soul with not one but two Aaron Neville covers. The first of these is 1973 classic Hercules, here reworked in an uptempo retro reggae stylee loaded with fuzz guitar and featuring members of The Lion along with a lead vocal from Alex Désert. The B-side is Neville’s lilting lesser-known ’66 slowie Tell It Like It Is. It’s not a slowie in the hands of Night Owls though, is it? No it isn’t! This one ups the tempo and rocks a heavy organ from the off (no doubt courtesy of The Aggrolites’ Roger Rivas) while Ozomatli’s Asdru Sierra delivers a yearning vocal over a reggae rhythm on nodding terms with cumbia. And once again both sides are so good the monkey is torn as to which is best.
(Out 187 April on F-Spot Records)
