The B-Side Players had the misfortune of releasing their latest album Movement on September 11, 2001. I would like to believe that a slightly earlier release date would have enabled the B-Side Players to climb the charts much like Alicia Keys did, but I know better. These guys just don't appeal to the eye in the same way that she does.

The music, though, the music is marvelous. Ranging from a reggae groove in the opening "Souldier" to a Latin, even flamenco beat in "Puro Feeling", the band really jumps off the tracks in "Spill The Wine." Mixing Spanish lyrics with the original English lyrics, this song really stands out as a highlight of the album, superior to my ears than the orginal War rendition. Despite having long lost any fragile hold I had on Spanish shortly after high school, I found myself singing along after only a few listens, even the Spanish lines.

The rest of the tracks vary a little musically, but most of them are centered on a skillful weaving of a sharp brass section with funky beats and smooth vocals. "Cereal Box Conspiracy" includes hard-edged rock guitar, but still doesn't give up the inherent dancability that runs throughout the album. "Souldier" drops a layer of DJ-style record-scratching on the top, to great effect. All of the songs are melodic memorable, and I don't believe that there is a dud on the album.

Some songs are entirely or mostly in Spanish, like "Cocrodilo Jodido," "Baila," "Tloque In Nahauque" and the aformentioned "Puro Feeling." Their lyrical inaccessability (to me) doesn't keep them from being extremely enjoyable, as the music is always a little funky, always a little jazzy, and always very good.

The B-Side Players are earnest and dedicated to ideals like "awareness" and "consciousness." Taking some of the lyrics on their own, one might be forgiven for thinking that the songwriter has a bit of a chip on his shoulder, but the message doesn't come across that way at all. A song like "Cereal Box Conspiracy" manages to make a serious statement (that many goals aren't actually worth the effort it takes to reach them) in a way that is just exactly self-aware enough to be amusing and effective.

Movement - B-Side Players
Musically: Funky, Latin, Reggae, Rock, Soul, and more.
Singability: Oh yes. "Mommy I want that free prize inside..."
Philosophy: Earnest Naivete - Let's all change the world
Suitability: An F-word or two; I can't vouch for the Spanish songs
Overall: 4/5

Order it at Amazon, download it from EMusic, or check out their label, Surfdog Records.