Review

After exploring Turkish folk music on their sophomore release In the Buzz Bag, Brooklyn Funk Essentials returned to the basics for the more hard funk-oriented follow-up, Make 'Em Like It. Of course, for Brooklyn Funk Essentials, the "basics" are still pretty eclectic, with reggae, hip-hop beats and scratching, hard bop, and salsa all creeping their way into the group's retro-funk and acid jazz. Soulful female vocals sit alongside American-style raps and Jamaican toasts, and the live instrumentation is as sharp as ever. A worthy addition to the collective's discography.