The group that gave you the famous "Cantaloop" from years ago, brings you their new album.

US3 – Questions (US3 Records)

A number of years ago, a song was unleashed that broke onto the commercial radio in North America and Europe and it was unmistakable, it used a Herbie Hancock sample, the song was called “Cantaloop” and it gave a group called US3 some major press from a lot of unusual sources. US3 has been around for over twelve years, from their first real releases on the seminal Jazz label “Blue Note” in 1993 to their “Broadway & 52nd to their major hit with Cantaloop. Geoff Wilkenson formed the group with Mel Simpson in 1992 and they have largely created more jazz oriented work that made the likes of Gilles Peterson very happy. Their work has been through a wide range of styles but they never have left out their jazz roots. Geoff Wilkenson is joined this time by London based singer Mpho and rapper from Brooklyn named Reggi Wyns.

US3 – Questions

1.A New Beginning
2.Whatcha Gonna Do?
3.Get It Together
4.What Does That Mean?
5.Believe In Yourself
6.Cantaloop 2004 – Soul Mix
7.Can U Feel It
8.When She’s Dancing
9.Why Not?
10.The Truth
11.Goodbye
12.Give Thanks
13.Healer
Bonus Track
14.Cantaloop 2004 – Bossa Mix

1.A New Beginning

The album begins with a funky slow number that uses an organ with some nice soft claps and then it adds some real well aimed percussion. It makes you shake your ass and then when the riff comes in, watch out, you might be dancing. This is certainly a different variety of music because it does not hit you immediately, it gently glides in. It is an incredibly short intro that works very well.

2.Whatcha Gonna Do

It uses this hip hoppy flavor with some laidback jazz and it makes use of this funky piano. The female vocalist works so well here with just the right amount of sensual vocals and this uses the jazz to get you moving. I’m sure people are thinking what the hell is going on? But trust me, this is just funky and it’s perfect for a sunny afternoon do nothing session. I find it so refreshing with the amazing vocals because so many producers and artists use just bad singers or bad vocals or both. Whatcha Gonna Do builds well on the introduction.

3.Get It Together

This uses a trumpet at the start to the already funky bassline. The same vocalist comes back to sing in this song and her vocals mesh with the instrumentation so well. Some rapper raps a bit at times here as well but it’s not the hip hop style, it sort of just adds to the song. I like the variety, the jazz influence with that “funk” part, I also like the hip hop sensibility that is added in very small doses. The trumpet comes back near the end but it is not as forceful as it was in the beginning of the song. This is not the greatest song because it does not completely hook you in but I’m more than happy with well made stuff that does not try anything too fancy or too lame.

4.What Does That Mean?

This starts with a rap telling us how we need peace, I tend to agree with the man but I don’t write political essays, I write reviews. The scratching during the chorus is quite low key but that is what Wilkinson is trying for, nothing over the top, just low key things that work. The song is not completely hip hop either, it contains a organ that is filtered to give it this r’n’b sensibility, more of this please!

5.Believe In Yourself

This heads in the jazz funk direction. The piano is underlying with the nice percussion taps, with the female vocalist, then joined by the rapper gives this some feel but I don’t really dig this tune, the vocals are smart but I think it is something that tends to drag on a bit. The song is almost too r’n’b for me, which is probably why I just don’t see it as being that great.

6.Cantaloop 2004 – Soul Mix

Now I’ll be the first to admit that I totally loved the “Cantaloop” single when it smashed into the Toronto Radio playlists a few years back, but there is something that I’m getting tired of in music today and that’s re-releasing old songs, when at times some artists just can’t think of new ideas. The song is virtually the same, with the only real different being the backing instrumentations, which Wilkenson adds a more of an r’n’b feel. I do know that a lot of people will dig this track as well as most of the album so far because it is perfect to change gears after a weekend of partying but no more remixes please.

7.Can U Feel It

As we leave the first of two Cantaloop mixes, we head for another funky number that seems to use a bass and some weird percussion as the bassline. The craziest part is the fast rap in this track, US3 is certainly trying to inject a hip hop feel into a jazz oriented album, which is completely new to me. “Can U Feel It” does make you want to dance but when I suspect most will listen to this, they will be too tired from partying but I think this is where this album is best used. A subtle trumpet is used to glide this from the middle to the end, I love trumpets in tracks for some reason, more of this please as well!

8.When She’s Dancing

Track numero huit starts with some congo drums and some rattles which gives the track this real latin vibe, then some other percussion comes and it sounds like it almost fights with everything else at times. The electronic keyboard starts about a minute in and the melody sounds so similar to one of the early tracks. The female vocalist joins in again to this latin fueled vibe cross with jazz hybrid, how’s that for a description? I think Wilkenson found the right vocalist because all of her vocals just work so well with the music, which is a rarity with so many bad vocals out there. Wilkenson deserves props for keeping to the original direction of the album, by now most artists would have ditched it and gone into every genre on the face of this earth.

9.Why Not?

FUNK must be a favorite word for US3 because every song seems to use it in some manner. “Why Not” uses a flute to a great degree, it starts about half a minute in and then when the rapper comes in rambling about kwanza or something near December 25 or 26. The rap does not do much here but that flute just makes you forget the horrible rap and that’s a good thing.

10.The Truth

The song uses a keyboard that is changed to sound almost like a unique piano. The female vocalist is back for this one and she is not the highlight of this track either. The trumpet pushed to the background just adds that extra little bit of flavor that makes this so enjoyable. The vocal does ooze funkyness, which is the theme of this album.

11.Goodbye

“Goodbye” has his upstart latin vibe to it, the song starts with the rapper going “Yo” and some trumpets are added for some nice feel. He raps for a while then he is joined by the female vocalist, they both tend to go back and forth and it works nicely. I like the variation of this album, which has been so far, very pleasant.

12.Give Thanks

This album has been fine so far but the rapping is wearing on me and this track reinforces the point. The guitar in the background is the best thing here, the rap does not sound out of place but it just wears on you, after so many songs.

13.Healer

This ends the album, I know that you people that are sharp are saying, what about the bonus track, I’ve never considered bonus tracks to be a part of true albums, I view them as a nice bonus. This uses trumpets with a funky jazz line to push this thing and it finishes off the album quite nicely

14.Cantaloop 2004 – Bossa Mix

I loved the original song but no more remixes or mixes of it please. This justs adds a bossa flavour to the original and it does nothing for me. Please Mr. Wilkenson, no more remixes of this.

Conclusion:
This album is nothing amazing but nothing that bad. The rapping does wear on you but it is certainly a decent album for those who need something slow on Sunday Afternoons to recover from messy weekends.