King James Brown Drops New Single

Those familiar with the idiosyncratic nature of King James Brown, one of Las Vegas’s most noteworthy acts, will undoubtedly already know about his latest single “Can’t Fake the Funk,” a clever takedown of fake mother-funkers across the music industry piggybacking on a sound and style that he helped establish for newer generations — for those not in the know, allow me to introduce you. King James Brown (real name James Brown) has been hard at work within the music world for five decades, according to his biography, and his work has branched out well beyond the work of his namesake artist — Brown’s catalog includes work from Marvin Gaye, Prince, Rick James, and Teddy Pendergrass, as well as his originals, and his presence both on and off the stage has grown to legendary-like status over the years, both allowing him to meet James Brown and perform with Brown’s very own backing band and dancers! “Can’t Fake the Funk” continues the legacy of King James Brown, and it’s a stupendous continuation of the work Brown has already managed to accomplish in his career.

“Can’t Fake the Funk” is a bombastic piece of funk delicacy, balancing perfect genre composition with the band bursting from all ends through brass, woodwinds, and dynamic percussion — Brown’s vocals deliver a definitive piece of the music that feels simply unstuck in time, bringing listeners back to eras long since past by way of Funkadelic, Sly and the Family Stone, and of course, Mr. James Brown himself.

The tribute paid to such titanic acts of the past never feels derivative, and to even the harshest critics who would argue otherwise, there’s a clear point of joyous homage being had that deserves its time in the sun. There’s a deserved labor of love on King James Brown’s part that most modern acts wouldn’t even know where to begin, and that in and of itself makes Brown’s entire act a unique anomaly among modern musicians and performers.

With this new single under his belt and a few more on the way (“Sidewalk Buck Dance” and “Dancin’ in the Basement” both due out in February, with the former arriving as a song for Black History Month and the latter a Valentine’s Day single), King James Brown is clearly still in the midst of hitting his stride. There’s simply no slowing down a man in his element, and one listen to “Can’t Fake the Funk” shows just how in his element Brown is; taking the single on the road, he’s set to perform in Las Vegas this month and there’s no doubt that the single will translate to the live stage without a hitch. “Can’t Fake the Funk” incorporates one of the most crucial elements of funk by capturing the essence of a live performance setting, and King James Brown brings the live and studio pieces together in good fashion. It’s clear from the get-go that this is a distillation of funk through the modern lens, and it’s arguably as real as it gets, no faking!

Mindy McCall

The music of King James Brown has been heard all over the world in partnership with the radio plugging services offered by Musik and Film Radio Promotions Division.  Learn more https://musikandfilm.com