Four Finger Five
Four Finger Five

Rating: 4.5/5
For fans of: Marvin Gaye and Eric Clapton’s funk side project
Tracks to download: “Solid Ground”, “Bullets”, “Get it Together”

Four Finger Five is a definite candidate for Best Band You’ve Never Heard Of. On their new self-titled album, the Muskegon, Mich. natives take Rhythm and Blues back to its roots. This means funky bass licks, fuzzy blues guitar riffs and smooth crooning. It also means that the band has brought along their trumpet and saxophone-playing friends, and though some listeners might be turned off by the jazzy inserts, these instruments lend a necessary color to the songs and allow the band to expand their timbre beyond the banal, mass-produced synth-pop that too frequently passes for R&B. The ensemble’s greatest asset might be its ability to express the sentiments of the vocals in the musicians’ solo work.

It must be noted early that 4F5, above all else, have a gorgeous sound. Frontman Joe Sturgill has a stunning voice which he uses to shape and propel the musical phrase just like the guitar or keyboard. He and bassist Mike Phillips vary their effects enough to make each song sounds fresh without abandoning a sense of unity among the tracks.

This cohesiveness is also present in Sturgill’s vocals. He manages to avoid the common blues pitfall of hackneyed lyrics. Rather than singing about personal loss and self-pity, many of Sturgill’s vocals have apparent anti-war sentiments and employ combat metaphors throughout the album. “Bullets” is a fine example of this theme and also showcases how a seamless integration of a horn section can bolster the ensemble’s approach to modern R&B without weighing down strong guitar lines.

Phillips’ keyboard fills also add jazzy influences to several pieces without weighing down the melody. 4F5 use the keyboard to establish tension, making the moments of release all the sweeter. The group proves that easily listenable music necessarily includes moments of friction, and instead of a series of smooth jazz tracks, the musicians really dig in and reflect the weight of the lyrics in bluesy licks.

However, the band passes around the solos, never focusing for too long on one instrument or idea. “Get it Together” features a fantastic interplay between the various musicians, while remaining centered enough on the main motif to stay relevant and listenable.

Some listeners might withdraw from the sax and trumpet solos, but they too deserve a fair listen. Saxophonist Karl Denson is a talented musician and helped write most of the songs on the album, and his presence is significant. R&B listeners should embrace his work on tracks such as “Soul Rhythm” as a welcome new voice in a sea of talented instrumentalists. And his work is less be-bop than carefully constructed fusion jamming. Remember Pink Floyd sax? Denson plays like that. He works within the structure of a rock tune and sounds neither inappropriately simplistically nor out-there.

That being said, 4F5 wear their jam-band status with pride. They realize that they at once write good form songs and still indulge their need to showcase their solo work. It is hard to pick out a best song, as the hard-hitting funk of “Solid Ground” and the slow jam of “Rewind” sound superficially very unlike, yet both showcase a solid group of musicians who work well together to accomplish more than any one member could produce on his own.

If the thought of often lyric-less jams turns you off, give 4F5 a spin, and see if they can’t change your mind. Though the simple R&B moments are excellent, the band realizes its full potential when they are letting their instruments speak for them, and they have a lot to say.

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