We love to keep an open mind here at Flea Market Funk, but as much as Noisey tells us that Lil’ Yachty is the real deal, or that some of this mumble rap crap has to be taken seriously, we usually extend our giant middle finger to what the public defines as good music. Ok, it is subject to people’s tastes, but we are not going to fall off the cliff of mediocrity like much of the lemmings downloading zip files of trash that passes as music these days. We feel (and have always felt) that people don’t dig deep enough to find the good music. Well, if you are looking for something to make your day, and open your mind to something different, here is the record for you: Awaken, My Love by Childish Gambino.

Now Donald Glover isn’t just a great actor, director, the next young Lando Calrissian, but a talented rapper and musician who, if you have been living living under a rock the last 6 years or so, has been making moves in the music world as well as in Hollywood. He’s not your typical actor who wants to try to rap aka Shia Labouf or Joaquin Phoenix style. Indeed he is multi-talented, and this record is proof. Switching gears from his usual rap records, it seems that young Donald Glover is taking it back on this one. Full band, funk, psychedelic, neo-soul, Funkadelic Maggot Brain-esque style on this release. But it is much more. There is so much going on here, from Parliament-Funkadelic to Sly Stone, to Prince and beyond (Rick James? early Lenny Kravitz?). On a whole, this record is really appealing. Stand out tracks for us: “Zombies” (“they’re eating you for profit/ there is no way to stop it”), “Have Some Love” (the closest to a P-Funk track on the record), “Redbone”, a Prince meets Bootsy Collins (can’t you hear “I’d Rather Be With You” in it?) slow jam, “Baby Boy” where he gets busy on a Glockenspiel, and “Stand Tall”, this cosmic jam just grabs us (“there is more out there/ and somebody cares…’bout you”). Obviously we are just highlighting some tracks we dig, but on a whole this thing is just what we need to end the shitbox of 2016 and start 2017 fresh. CG has surrounded himself with some great musicians and crafted one of our favorite records of the year. Yeah we said it. Now give a listen to it below and blast off in space for a while. You deserve it.

No vinyl release date yet, but it seems like it will be limited and a hefty price, complete with two 45s, a poster, and whatever else he feels like throwing in. Stay tuned.

Keep Diggin’!