An election year both as bizarre and as crucial as this brings out the best in Was (Not Was). Regrouping after a recording hiatus of almost two decades — as bassist Don (Fagenson) Was achieved a higher profile producing Bonnie Raitt, the Rolling Stones, Iggy Pop and so many others — the Los Angeles via Detroit collective retains most of its signature elements: the resplendently soulful vocal trio of Sweet Pea Atkinson, Sir Harry Bowens and Donald Ray Richardson; the recruitment of accomplices including guitarist Wayne (MC5) Kramer and keyboardist Booker T. (of the MG’s) Jones; the lyrical surrealism of former jazz critic David (Weiss) Was; the surprise vocalist on the final cut (with Kris Kristofferson, another Don Was production client, taking the slot once occupied by Mel Torme).
What also remains are the signature funk grooves reminiscent of Parliament/Funkadelic, though the novelty dadaism that gave the group an unlikely hit with 1988′s “Walk The Dinosaur” has given way to the grittier urban narratives more akin to “The Wire” (to which the jazzy “Big Black Hole” sounds like an aural homage). From the red, white and blue orgy that opens “Semi-Interesting Week” through the heavenly chorus harmonies and hellish verses of “It’s A Miracle” to the bloody literalism of “From The Head To The Heart”, the Was Bros. have presented their darkest, deepest and most powerful recording to date as a State of the Union address. And the state of the union isn’t pretty.
There’s even a compositional collaboration with Bob Dylan (who enlisted Don and David Was as co-producers for his 1990 album Under The Red Sky), with “Mr. Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore” providing a companion of sorts to the mid-’60s Mr. Jones. There’s still something happening here, and if you don’t know what it is, Was (Not Was) has returned to set a desperate nation straight.
