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When the Headhunters reformed in 1998 to record a new album, expectations were running high as to what one of the greatest funk fusion bands of all time would create during a time when interest in funk jazz was making a big comeback thanks to increased exposure via the youthful acid jazz scene. I had hopes the Headhunters would either jump on the new 90s electronica influenced jazz scene, or possibly take their past work to a new level, but after a few listens I realized neither had happened and quickly discarded this CD. Fortunately a recent re-visit to “Return of the Headhunters” has revealed a few nice cuts, but its true, this one sounded out of date amongst the acid jazz of its time, and is also no match for the Headhunters more illustrious past.
Part of the problem with this CD is a lack of focus and cohesion. There are a couple of vocal numbers that are not remarkable, a couple cuts that try unsuccessfully for a 70s type avant-garde experimentation and some semi-commercial funk/hip hop jazz numbers that are the best of the lot. On some of these funk jazz numbers the band relaxes and pulls off the hot solos they are known for. Although Herbie Hancock is no longer a regular member of the Headhunters, he makes an appearance on a couple tunes. On the other cuts virtuoso keyboardist Billy Childs does a great job at what almost sounds like a toungue-in-cheek impression of Herbie. Certainly Childs has always been influenced by Hancock, but on this album he seems to go out of his way to channel Herbie’s past work with the Headhunters. I’m sure Childs had fun paying tribute to one of his main influences. Some top cuts on here include “Frankie and Kevin” which recalls the space lounge vibe of the Headhunter’s classic “Butterfly”, and “Kawanzaa” with its irresistible African flavored riffs and high powered piano solo from Childs.
There was probably no way this CD could have met everyone’s expectations when it first came out, fortunately with the passing of time it turns out that about half of this CD is good modern funk jazz played by the guys who helped invent this stuff.