Southern Exposure (1994)

The relaxed, Southern, bluesy funk thing that alto saxist Maceo Parker has been doing for so long (as a sideman for George Clinton and James Brown, and on his own) he does quite well. But so much of his music — amiable, sincere, undemanding — sounds the same. What elevates Southern Exposure are the two tracks on which he's joined by the rambunctious Rebirth Brass Band of New Orleans — they're so fresh he can't rely on old tricks — and his rare attempt at a vocal, which proves surprisingly evocative. B

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