To the uninitiated listener, perhaps, the pairing of the Kansas City soul sister, Marva Whitney, with a nine-piece funk band from Japan might seem an unusual combination – but as anyone who witnessed the former James Brown revue star’s performance at a rammed-to-the-rafters Yardbird club in Birmingham last night will no doubt attest, the end result was a musical marriage made in funk and soul heaven.
Led by JB-inspired bandleader, Ryo Nakata, the sharply-attired Osaka Monaurail convincingly demonstrated why they’re the best funk band on the planet right now: their lean grooves, a mixture of originals with a couple of JB covers thrown in, were a combustible meld of power and precision. Ryo Nakata proved to be a charismatic and versatile front man; one minute he was barking out gruff Godfather-style vocals, the next he was doing some seriously slick ‘60s dance moves and at other moments would play some bluesy licks on a Hammond organ or direct the band with imperious hand gestures.
After a sweat-inducing introductory set by the awesome Monaurail, Nakata introduced what he called the ‘Star Time’ part of the show and brought Marva Whitney on stage to a wildly enthusiastic reception by the locals. The lovely Ms. Whitney was in fine voice, with the tightly-drilled band behind her sounding uncannily like the Pee Wee Ellis-led James Brown Orchestra from ‘68/’69 that played on her seminal funk records like ‘Unwind Yourself,’ ‘It’s My Thing’ and ‘Things Got To Get Better (Get Together),’ all of which were included in her set.
As well as reaffirming her status as the ‘First Lady of Funk,’ Marva Whitney showed her sensitive side on the deep soul ballad, ‘You’re Love Was Good For Me,’ which was transformed – by dint of the singer’s preacher-like monologue – into a thoughtful message song. She also did an excellent finger-clicking version of ‘Kansas City,’ whose rolling, blues-infused, groove went down well. In truth, though, funk was what the audience had come to hear and they weren’t disappointed – there was a strong rendition of ‘I Made A Mistake (Because It’s Only You),’ and an encore of the more recent song, ‘I Am What I Am,’ closed the show on a euphoric high. She might be 65-years-old but on this evidence, Marva Whitney still knows how to serve up some tasty ‘sock it to ‘em’ funk and soul.
