Funkyy! …Yeah what?
While this chance landing of pleasant samba-infused funk aint NWA, União Black (pronounced OONyow BLACKee) helped bust up the cheery pictures of Brazilian racial harmony in the 70's as players in the Black Rio movement (not the band), a strand of James Brown funk and American soul music reinterpreted with pan-African Black pride and local stylistic flavors in mind.
Banda União Black is the band’s first release in 30 years, and their only one since a 1977 debut album that came out after the group had already disbanded. Perhaps their re-entrance comes at the right time, on the coattails of a newfound North American fondness for Os Mutantes and a fresh eye to new developments (Bonde Do Role, CSS).
Daniel Collas (Joe Bataan, Sean Marquand, Brazilian Beat Brooklyn) produced the album in Brooklyn. Look for a digital release of their album April 3rd.
