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THE CRUSADERS This may be the perfect time for the return of the Crusaders’ brand of soul-jazz, what with hip-hop and electronic artists sampling the kind of beats the group made famous in the from the 1960s straight through the ‘80s. With original members Joe Sample, Stix Hopper, and Wilton Felder back as the nucleus of the band, there is much on Rural Renewal that should interest listeners who enjoy jazz, funk, and soul. Though some of the group’s ‘80s output was considered overly slick and synthesized, the band was usually able to walk the line between jazz and soulful funk pretty well, always maintaining a certain integrity that was true to the members’ origins in the deep country blues territory of Houston, Texas. This is a band that can be funky and even rock without losing their identity, that can play the pretty sounds of late-night, Marvin Gaye-influenced R&B without slipping into smooth jazz. “Rural Renewal” opens the album on a strong note, with Sample’s electric piano and Hooper’s in-the-pocket drumming setting the tone. Ray Parker, Jr., who plays guitar on all but four of the album’s tracks, contributes to the solid groove over which Felder and trombonist Steve Baxter testify. Then there’s guest Eric Clapton, lending his blues seasoning on acoustic guitar, which proves just the right touch. Clapton is also present on “Creepin’,” a tricked-out funky samba that features bluesy work from Sample and Clapton. “Heartland” is a beautiful track cowritten by Felder and George Shaw, and the horns get that late night/early morning sound cooking. Hooper and Sample kick it up a notch, generating some real funk on the tune’s bridge. Sample’s acoustic piano work is really something, and Felder takes a good R&B tenor solo. The next two tracks, “A Healing Coming On” and “Sing the Song” feature contemporary gospel singer Donnie McClurkin, who further adds to the soulful proceedings. On “A Healing Coming On,” written by Joe Sample and Will Jennings, McClurkin is joined by the glorious voices of Sounds of Blackness. After getting right with our souls, it’s time for some fatback funk, and “Shotgun House Groove” fills the bill nicely, with bassist Freddie Washington, Ray Parker, Hooper, and Sample all grooving away furiously while Felder and Baxter slather the sweet horn lines on top like sweet butter on cornbread. A lot of younger funk drummers need to listen closely to Stix Hooper, whose playing is incredibly funky, yet so tasteful precisely because of his use of space. Rather than crashing cymbals and filling every cranny, Hooper leaves the necessary space for the listener to absorb the implications of what he’s laying down. It’s a grooving soulfest the rest of the way, with “The Territory,” “Greasy Spoon,”(which has a groove like Al Green's "Take Me To the River") and “Viva De Funk” providing an opportunity to get up and dance, while “Lazy Sundays” takes it down a bit, and “Goin’ Home” finishes up with the kind of soul/funk/gospel resolution that leaves you feeling nourished and happy. That’s one of the key elements on Rural Renewal that keeps it real—there is musical nourishment here. Real musicians are playing together, interacting, listening, and sharing musical ideas. That’s the difference between music with soul and funky machine music. Sample, Hooper, and Felder have been playing together for so long that they instinctively know the best way to complement what the others are playing. As much as anything, Rural Renewal is a tribute to the power of music and of sustained friendship, and that’s a beautiful thing.
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