We Must Fight is the new full-length effort from Catalonian funk-soul outfit The Pepper Pots who, during their decade-long career, have squeezed in five other LPs besides this one, several world tours and collaborated with Eli ‘Paperboy’ Reed and Binky Griptite as well as golden era soul survivors The Impressions and Maxine Brown. Not a career to be sneezed at then. And far from losing any spice over the years they’ve now acquired an extra female vocalist and availed themselves of the production skills of aforementioned collaborator and Dap King Binky Griptite – a man who’s ground the band’s sound to fine new levels of authenticity in the band’s own studio with what is apparently an embarrassment of analogue equipment from back in the day.
We Must Fight is a twelve tracks deep, all female vocals effort and runs the gamut of the funk and soul genre canon. The title track and single bring the sort of intense quiet/ loud heavy soul that has recently been the stock in trade of The Ephemerals and Hannah Williams & The Tastemakers. Good Times sprinkles uptempo, upbeat 70s style soul over the start of the LP, Got Me Crazy is a mellow funky nugget, Don’t Let No One is a Smokey Robinson-esque affair and there are slow burners and pre-funk Motown stompers aplenty. My condiments to the band and the producer…
(Out now on Legere Recordings)