Grant Street Orchestra
Passionately Late
self-released
Click to hear: “Night Writer”
The funk/rap hybrid Grant Street Orchestra has released a debut album that answers this burning question: Is GSO a funk group fronted by two MCs or a hip hop duo with a live backing band?
Passionately Late proves they’re the former, which is not a bad thing to be. But if they sounded more like the latter, this above-average white band could be the Average White Band of our time.
Grant Street started three years ago, when the duo of MC Mint and guitarist Andy Barbo teamed up to do some open-mic gigs. They gradually added players — including a two-piece horn section of trumpet and tenor and another MC, I-Kue — and now they’re a seven-piece. There’s room for a few more, like trombonist Erin Burns, who joins the guys on two songs and fits right in. The two tracks co-produced by Doubletone and the scratches and samples here and there show that a DJ would be a fine addition as well.
The playing is tight. Straightforward funk cuts like “Joaquin Phoenix” and “In Check” alternate with jazzy, groovier numbers (“As Time Goes By,” “City of Cracks”). The aggressive rock-rap track “Night Writer” fuckin’ kills. “Lurkin’” starts slinky, then lifts off and gains intensity halfway through. It’s an impressive song, and you gotta love the local name-checks — Becky’s Diner, 3 G’s Tire.
MCs Mint and I-Kue do a solid job throughout, but their interplay is still a work in progress. The more they get comfortable passing the mic and establishing their own identities, the better this band will be. Passionately Late is a solid foundation from which to fly.
— Chris Busby
For more on the band, check out grantstreetorchestra.com.
