Noticed by European followers under aliases such as “The Soul Saints”, modern funk outfit, Poets of Rhythm, quickly got the attention of Lyrics Born, who later would collaborate with them on “I Changed My Mind”, on the Quannum Spectrum compilation.

But is the idea of a millennial funk band all it’s cracked up to be? Will they understand the importance of the rhythm section? Will they run through lazy covers of “Cissy Strut” and “Let The Music Take Your Mind”? Will it sound “right”? Over the last couple of years there has been a lot of talk about “keeping funk alive”, but make no mistakes – The Poets of Rhythm’s were doing it before you were buying Skull Snaps re-issues from Dusty Groove – and they might be the most important funk band today.

Although this is mainly an instrumental adventure, the albums first masterpiece is the somber “Smilin’ (While Your Crying)”. Combining soulful, honest vocals that sound reminiscent of Alan Gorie from the Average White Band, with a drum track that seems to be sequenced in my dreams, this is definitely going on the “best of the year” list. Other gems include “Moira”, “Fondle Rock”, and the amazing “Eulogize The Source” which goes from really aggressive, vibraphone filled funk to a mellow Eddie Palmieri sounding groove in 3 minutes flat.

While less accessible than their cover-band counterpart, Breakestra, hip-hop heads will definitely appreciate the Poets after a few listens. While they don’t really fall into one particular bag, their skills seem to allow them to journey through different paces and ideas like a long road trip. From Deep Funk to Latin to Groove, they can do it all. Their dedication to detail, musicianship and their apparent love for the funk shines through and will hopefully prove that the funk revolution is far from over, and it might just have a leader in a group of cats from Germany.