Brian Culbertson has found what George Clinton and Bootsy Collins used to bring forth every album. At the same time, he has stayed steady with his jazz roots. The mix works well for the CD.

Had a chance to see Brian in concert. He played most of the songs from this CD. It was a great concert; and the CD is great also. If you like Larry Graham, Earth Wind & Fire, Bootsy Collins. You will love this CD inspired by the forementioned.

I love funk music and chose this album based on the reviews from other people. I was very disappointed by this album because with very few exceptions there isn't the grit and usually associated with funk. The music is good but I would call it 'easy listening' version/remakes of the masters.

This Cd has a 70's vibe, with an influence of rock and soul from the Bay area. On a couple of the tracks the music was close to some of the Tower of Power's horn sections sound. This is an excellent album to listen to while driving down the highway.

I recently purchased the CD Brining Back the Funk and am very pleased with it. The music is great and very orginal. The CD has met my expectations as well as the service that I recieved when I purchased the CD. Would recommend.

love this cd If you love jazz with a twist this is your cd

Surprisingly likeable CD. A little instrumental jazz, a little funky, some with vocal and others not. But this is a nice tribute to that era with a touch of his own style. I have to say the first track threw me for a minute I was unsure if I would be able to get into the CD. But it recovered on the second track and got stronger thereafter. Loved the version of Hollywood Swingers w/Musiq & Albright and The World Keeps Going Around w/Ledisi, who is a wonderful vocalist who truly shines on this track. This was quite enjoyable, not too over the top but mellow funk. Definately for Ole School lovers who don't mind a little variety/twist.

This is one great album. It's an awesome mood-maker, putting you into a comfortable jazz groove right up front and consistently. My one complaint is the title. I don't think it actually brings back any funk; it's more of a fusion of 75% jazz and 25% funk. The main reason for that is that piano was never at the heart of funk. Funk built on rhythm and a thumping bass, not keys. That said, Culbertson definitely has a funky heart and brings a great vibe to his jazz.

I'll make this review short but sweet. If you are a fan of classic funk then Brian Culbertson (with the help of a few of his old school friends with serious funk credentials) has just created a generous slice of the good stuff. To carry my metaphor a little further, it's like unexpectedly coming across a bottle of a favorite old wine, sharing it with a special friend that you know will appreciate it, and discovering that it's every bit as good as you remembered it to be. Of course the difference here is that you can listen to Brian's new CD as many times as you want. If you appreciate "the real deal" funk as much as I do, my prediction is that as soon as the last note dies away you will be hitting play again to reappreciate Bringing Back the Funk's remarkable and fully realized goal of revitalizing a genre of music that has sadly, become all too rare in this era of corporate driven desperation to find anything that can be foisted off on a fragmented and increasingly disinterested (and clueless) public, hoping to sell as many "units" as possible. Ah well, sorry for the rant, but hearing a CD this good made me miss what we used to have in abundance before corporate greed once again reassumed control. So, even though this post ended up being neither short or sweet, the actual parts of it where I talked about the fantastic Bringing Back the Funk were. Time to stop reading the reviews and just buy it, because it's Great!

Great combination of funk and jazz. I especially like the Bootsy Collins cuts, Hollywood Swinging and The World Keeps Going Around. Some of the cuts are average, but the others are superior. Well worth listening to.
KEEP FUNK ALIVE !!!!

That Brian Culbertson is a fine piano player is no news. What it's real news it's his amazing versatility to navigate from one silky, mellow & romantic repertoire ("It's on tonight") to a funky and jazzy album like this one, effortlesly. That's a gift that not many musicians can prove. Brian has it. "Bring back the funk" is a "must" for any smooth jazz lover. It's hard to believe after listening this album someone could write "tired and uninspired effort", unless you have become def without acknowledgeing it, of course.

I have alway thought of Brian Culbertson as being one of the finest smooth jazz artist of this time. However, this release is very tired and uninspired. It is so much so, that I could not finish listening to it. There is no smooth flow, just a bunch of unmemorable sound with a funk edge to it that would not have even been hits during the funk era of the '70s. Brian really butchered Kool and the Gang's song, "Hollywood Swinging," and made a great song terrible. Thank goodness Kool did not use Brian's arrangements when he initially made that song. With all this said, the smooth jazz genre seems to be lacking at present. And, I can tell that I won't be writing too many future reviews as this format seems to be in a permanent lull.

Brian Culbertson's style can be heard in each track, but the exact amount of 70's spice and flavor gives this disk a great nouvelle style that must be heard.

Once again Brian Culbertson has done it.
This CD is awesome!!!Excellent blend of funk and jazz.

I REMEMBER the first time I heard mr. culbertson I was at this mall in wanut creek,ca. they were having a session in the mall it was cool he played some jams .that at that time I didn't know what they were .But ,man it sounded good so,the lady and I decided to stop and pay attention ,it was a good thing too, he's good on the keys.This disc reminded us of that day.She loves his opening track with bootsy ,that was a givin.After we listened to the whole thing I just had to write this review.check out this disc folks.it's a happening all unto itself.Very slick mr.culbertson.

What do you get when you mix in; Bootsy Collins, Maceo Parker, Fred Wesley, Larry Graham and Bernie Worell? You get "B" Funk! Then blend in some Maurice White, Gerald Albright, Paul Jackson, Jr, Ray Parker, Jr, Eric Marienthal, Tom Scott, Ledisi and Musiq, what an awesome lineup!!! I am a huge B.C. fan, and this is one of his best and of course most diverse works to date, and this mixture works!! I'm OLD SCHOOL, and you can hear all the groups' influences on the tracks and that old school flavor. Just enough funk, just enough jazz, just enough vocals. B.C. mixed in some newer artists also, Musiq Soulchild and Ledisi (Check out "Lost and Found"). A few of my favorites are; "The House of Music" (Larry Grahams' bass), "Always Remember" (EWF-esque vocals), "The Groove" (love the synth bass), "You Got To Funkifize" (they take you to church for a minute), hey, I really like the entire album!! You need this album in your collection!!! dlm

If your a fan of brian culbertson or just browsing through the jazz cd, this is one artist you must listen to. Bringing back the funk is brian most complete and artistic album up to date. I"ve been listening to him since his early cd long night out and to see him mature as a musican,song writer, and producer. This album is powerful, but gives you enough smooth tracks in between not to overwhelm you with funk. It has the perfect blend. If this your first Brian Culbertson album, believe me it will not be your last. Also you can go to his website to get a sneek peak to how he made the songs in the studio with his guest musicians. Its a true real treat for the pure culbertson fan..... Enjoy

Brians Culbertson new CD is Superb,awesome. Id go out as quick as you can & buy his new Cd.

When Brian said he was going to get a few friends together to make a funk CD I thought to myself, can he pull it off. This CD just shows the talent of the man and the way he can bring the right people together to make a super CD that has real funk but truly jazz roots. This CD is outstanding as always and the blend of funk jazz simply puts this CD in a category all by iteself. I had a chance to see him perform these songs at the Berks Jazz Festival in Reading. Pa. and I knew then it would be a hit. Great job Brian.

I received my copy earlier today, and what can I say? This is the perfect cd for me as a huge fan of funk. And I liked Brian alot even before this one....Just the list of wellknown funky musicians say anything you need to know. It's hard not to move when listening to this music, the songs themself and the production is perfect. 5+ stars!