Maktub - Khronos (2013)

Fronted by Reggie Watts, whose expressive baritone has been a pillar of the Seattle music scene since the early '90s, the talented quintet Maktub (say it, "mocktube") blaze a righteous road of psychedelic soul-pop on Khronos, the follow-up to their 1999 debut Subtle Ways. Equally rooted in '70s soul and West Coast hipster rock, Maktub's skillful layers of groovy keyboards, drums, bass, and guitars result in tasty concoctions that are at once wholly original and appealingly familiar. Imaginative embellishments from a modified 1950s telephone mic (a.k.a. the "Regg-a-phone"), a guitar talkbox, synthesizers, and samples give the multifarious 10-song playlist novelty, although you'll hear everyone from Al Green and Robert Plant to Jamiroquai and Chris Cornell throughout. The uplifting opener, "You Can't Hide," is a superfly morsel of funk that's likely to be one of the album's biggest hits; the third track, "Give Me Some Time," is a very cool rocker evocative of what might occur were Steely Dan and Faith No More to meet in the studio; and "Just Like Murder" is a gorgeously dark medley of Hammond organ and guitars that escalate and recede as Watts reflects on heartbreak. Their inspired cover (perhaps explaining the slightly off lyrics) of Led Zeppelin's "No Quarter" is followed by the album's most leaden entry, "Motherf**ker," but the chilled-out "Then We'll Know" is a gentle wind down. In all, the excellent Khronos ensures that if you don't yet know and love Maktub, you should and will.