Calypso King & The Soul Investigators - Soul Strike! (2001)

The name of this group makes this release seem like a calypso record, which it isn't. The sound is more like a lost Meters album from 1969, which it isn't quite either. The credits imply that the band is from Finland, which it definitely isn't. Soul Strike! is actually an exercise in New Orleans-style instrumental workouts from the Soul Fire crew, New York's resident retro-funk chameleons (the same people behind J.D. & the Evil's Dynamite Band, the Soul Providers, etc.). It's a delicious and unbelievably convincing pastiche of vintage Meters, right down to the guitar and organ tone. Half the fun is figuring out which early funk classics yielded its borrowed riffs ("Struggling My Way," for instance, is a cousin to Sly and the Family Stone's "Sing a Simple Song"). The other half of the fun is kicking back and surrendering to the groove. And DJs looking for a fresh beat can take their pick of the crisp, inventive breaks here. --Douglas Wolk