Now that they're over a quarter-century into their career, it's time to come to terms with a simple fact:
G. Love & Special Sauce
are no longer youthful upstarts, they're veterans. Fittingly, their 2020 album
The Juice
is the kind of record that could only be made by musicians who've been around the block a time or two. It's not that
is the work of untrammeled virtuosos -- it is most decidedly a vibe record -- but rather that it's an album that's casually confident that also happens to have an offhand sense of community. At its core,
derives from a series of Nashville sessions held with
Keb' Mo'
, who is credited as a co-producer and appears on a fair chunk of the album. The bluesman helps focus
G. Love
, tightening up individual songs which in turn helps the entire album gel.
still has plenty of moments where he indulges in a bit of goofball humor, but his party is inclusive and good-spirited, filled with plenty of exhortations for peace and love. His openheartedness is accentuated by guest appearances by fellow blues musicians: six-string hotshot
Marcus King
plays on the title track,
Robert Randolph
cranks up the funk on "Birmingham,"
Ron Artis
helps "Diggin' Roots" achieve a relaxed sunniness, while
Roosevelt Collier
rides out the vamp on "Soul-B-Que." It all adds up to an album that is cheerful and, thanks to the steady hand of
, deceptively sharp. Anything that seems ragged or a loose end is there for flavor, giving this record a relaxed, cheerful groove so offhand, it could only be conjured by old hands. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine