G. Love And Special Sauce 1994 (fltr: Jimmy Jazz, G. Love, Houseman)
G. Love And Special Sauce (introduction)
In 1994 I heard G. Love And Special Sauce at a friend’s house. A pleasant mix of styles with a relaxed and decidedly ‘cool’ vibe.
G. Love And Special Sauce (band)
In the early 1980s Gregg Dutton played guitar and was heavily influenced by blues artists like John Hammond, Lightnin’ Hopkins and Robert Johnson. He also sang and learned how to play the harmonica and developed his own musical style, mixing musical genres like blues, hip-hop, rock & roll, soul and funk.
In 1992 Dutton met drummer Jeffrey Clemens. There was a connection and they started making/playing music together. They played their first show in January 1993. A few months later bass player Jim Prescott was added to the duo and the trio became the houseband at a local bar in Cambridge, Massachusetts. They also performed a lot in and around Boston.
The band played original material written by Sutton, who renamed himself to G. Love. Special Sauce consisted of Houseman (Clemens) and Jimmy Jazz (Prescott).
In October 1993 they were signed to Okeh Records, a sublabel of Epic. At the time the band was already halfway through recording their first album. In December the recording sessions were over and the band went out on tour, essentially to find their audience.
G. Love And Special Sauce – G. Love And Special Sauce
G. Love And Special Sauce (album)
On May 10, 1994, the band’s title-less debut album was released. Against expectations, it turned out to be a moderate success, particularly due to the singles Cold Beverage and Baby’s Got Sauce. Het album sold over 500,000 copies and was certified gold in the US.
The album contained an innovative mix of rock, hip-hop, blues and jazz. The band states it as:
G. Love And Special Sauce are creators of their own genre, “The Hip-Hop Blues”. They are known for their unique and laid back, rootsy sound, that encompasses Delta blues, hip hop, rock & roll soul and funk.
G. Love And Special Sauce (review)
At the time I thought the album was a revelation. It was relaxed, swinging, different from the grunge that was all over the place and highly unique. But above all it was über cool. The music and the voice had a timeless quality to them.
To the general public G. Love And Special Sauce will probably be nothing more than a one-day-fly, or maybe even less, because the band never really did break through, especially not in Europe. It’s the public’s loss, as G. Love And Special Sauce still is a unique work of art.
G. Love And Special Sauce – G. Love And Special Sauce – Inner sleeve
G. Love And Special Sauce (songs)
All songs written by G. Love, unless stated otherwise.
- The Things That I Used to Do
- Blues Music
- Garbage Man
- Eyes Have Miles
- Baby’s Got Sauce (G. Love, Houseman)
- Rhyme For The Summertime
- Cold Beverage
- Fatman
- This Ain’t Living (G. Love, Jasper)
- Walk to Slide
- Shooting Hoops
- Some Peoples Like That
- Town To Town
- I Love You
G. Love And Special Sauce (musicians)
- G. Love – vocals, guitar, harmonica
- Jeffrey Clemens “The Houseman” – drums, percussion, background vocals
- The Marshmellow Man Jimmy Jass Prescott – string bass
Guests:
- Scott Storch – piano
- Jasper – additional vocals
G. Love And Special Sauce – ‘The rest’
G. Love And Special Sauce (follow-up)
Following the release of their debut album the band continued to tour incessantly. The successor, by many regarded as the band’s best effort, was released in 1995. Coast To Coast Motel sold less than G. Love And Special Sauce and was followed by a long break. Financial differences led to a temporary estrangement, during which the band member focused on several projects.
Two years later the problems had been resolved resulting in a new album, Yeah, It’s That Easy. After a long tour Philadelphonic (1999) and Electric Mile (2001) were released. In the meantime the band was constantly out on the road performing shows all over the world.
In 2008 Superhero Brother was released, which was followed by Sugar in 2014. After Love Saves The Day (2015) and The Juice (2020) things quieted down. G. Love released a number of solo albums.
Nowadays the band still performs, without original drummer Houseman, who has settled down.
G. Love And Special Sauce (in closing)
What’s your opinion on G. Love And Special Sauce, the band and the album? Let me know!
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