G Love & Special Sauce

'Coast To Coast Motel' is the second album for the Philadelphia based American alternative bluesy hip hop band, recorded in New Orleans and like on their debut it has a real nice bluesy feel. The opening "Sweet Sugar Mama" is bass-driven with a touch of New Orleans funk. Other highlights include the smooth "Nancy," the uplifting "Chains # 3," and the startling "Small Fish." The group achieves some great, groovy interplay that can easily suck the listener in. Jimmy Prescott's upright bass playing and Jeff Clemens' drumming are tight and locked together, as G. Love adds his scratchy blues guitar on top. These guys have found the groove!

This album has a certain raw sound in the way it was recorded, almost like it was done live. This is very fun music perfect for carefree summer days, cool beats, funky bass lines, and laid back lyrics and delivery. The appearance of Jack Johnson is quite nice, and his calypso-like "Rodeo Clowns" version is definitely one of the strongest songs of the album. G. Love moved on from the straight blues/hip hop combo he started off with and added a little funk and soul in Philadelphonic with some vocal harmonizing that softens his voice. The result is a grooving album that keeps grooving until the final acoustic song. They definitely mixed up a batch of their special sauce for this album.