The Budos Band – Old Engine Oil

For those of you who remember records like “Ghost Walk” and “Up From The South” from The Budos Band, you know what they are capable of. They turn a venue into a party from the first note played. Fast forward to the a decade and a half later, and this fine oiled machine is still doing it well. On their latest offering from the Daptone label, V they grab some heavy rock and roll feel from their previous record Burnt Offering as well as that signature afro soul instrumental dynamite sound of the previous three records and run, no sprint, with the first single “Old Engine Oil”. This is the new “Sabotage” people, and if it doesn’t make you want to rob a bank, flee from the police, play chicken with a train, or challenge a cartel to a duel at twenty paces, you’re hearing it wrong.

Budos is back with a vengeance. I think that if you don’t want to either get in a car and drive fast or just pour yourself a strong drink and start having some fun, then you’re not listening to it loud enough.

Heavy guitar riffs (Led Zeppeling-eque, not a Greta Van Fleet rip off) and searing horns rule “Old Engine Oil”, but let’s not discount the drums, because Brian Profilio is a certified monster on this one. His playing stands tall like the mountain on the cover, and guess what? They are tougher than leather on this track. While we have always appreciated the afro funk and soul influences from previous offerings, we were definitely into the last record’s foray into the harder stuff. Leading the charge in the studio, of course, was the ever reliable and studio wizard Gabe Roth, who puts some of that old Daptone black magic into the pot on this record. They’ll be on tour starting in April, so catch them at a venue near you.