Budos Band

The sound the Budos Band makes would have us think it inhabits a smoky, subterranean lair that quakes like the San Andreas Fault and pumps out enough soul to counterbalance Wall Street. Though membership and size vary, the instrumental Brooklyn band consistently delivers funky, horn-fueled grooves deeper than the Mariana Trench. The Budos Band III alters the formula a bit. While showcasing the usual locomotion, the album’s 11 tracks also stretch out and explore at a pace significantly more leisurely than that of prior discs. The results mine the psychedelic vibe of an Afrocentric jam band rather than emulating one of James Brown’s lost soul brothers. It’s an unexpected but gratifying turn, like the nightcap to a wild, lost weekend.