It's one thing to be influenced by another band. Everyone can cite at least one band that has made a direct impact on their lifestyle and, consequently, on their music. I might have been a completely different person had I not heard Pink Floyd's The Wall at such a young age. But when influence translates into mimicry, problems arise.
Weapon Of Choice are influenced by some of my favorite bands, P-Funk, Sly and the Family Stone, Fishbone and one of my least favorite, Steely Dan. After hearing Weapon of Choice's direct imitations, I now tolerate Steely Dan and cherish the others as priceless treasures.
With a distinctly West Coast sound, Weapon Of Choice ringleader Lonnie "Meganut" Marshall, along with his seven circus cronies, released Highperspice hoping to fill the funk-pop void left when the mainstream retreated from deep soul and worthwhile grooves. Good luck. To permanently fill a void, originality is essential. Mimicry may temporarily sate, but it is only a pacifier. When it's gone, hunger for the original intensifies.
Weapon Of Choice's worthiest boon is that, taken at face value, they make music that is essentially kind-spirited and fun. Songs like, "Blindside," with a digable bassline and catchy chorus, and "Spade," a hip-hop-fueled poke at racism, leave you humming along and tapping your feet, although you'll swear you've tapped this beat before. Despite a blatant P-Funk hook, the haunting "Count Maculuv" is both blacksploitaciously humorous and genuinely moving. Highperspice is a great drive-with-the-top-down, summer-roadtrip soundscape.
For the true funk aficionado, Highperspice does not overwhelm with its innovativeness; rather, it may disappoint for its lack thereof. However, if freaky exuberant fun is what you crave, Highperspice will soothe your pangs with an unobtrusively smooth salve.
