The Killer Meters announced their arrival with some clout and style through their debut “A Tribute To The Meters” in 2005. Now they’re back with “Breakin’ Out!”. Seemingly a statement of intent, this is (mostly) original material, muddying the borders between soul, funk, fuzzed out hippy rock, blues and psychedelia. Karime Kendra (daughter of Northern Soul stalwart Ty Karim) really shines throughout, delivering some amazingly powerful hooks and allowing the soul to show no matter the style. Virgil Howe’s drumming keeps it in check, occasionally ripping loose when necessary, and guitarist Nick Hirsch delivers on the guitar, easily slipping from whacked out rock-fuzz to groovesome funk. The whole album hangs together so well it’s obvious the band have honed it to the bone many times live, so much so it’s rewarding to hear them moving into original song territory (bar one typically gutsy take on All The People’s “Cramp Your Style”). Lead single “Dance Move Shake!” gave an inkling of what to expect in here but there’s a heckuva lot more to discover, for both the party faithful and recent converts.
4 Out Of 5
Reviewed By: Darren Wall
