G. Love & Special Sauce

Superhero Brother sees G. Love & Special Sauce pulling back on the guest appearances from their last two albums and just focusing on the core group, now including Mark Boyce on keys. They still cover a lot of bases musically, from the classic rock moves of "Communication" to the New Orleans second-line rhythm on the chorus of "Peace, Love and Happiness." A bit of beatboxing introduces "What We Need," while "Wontcha Come Home" almost sounds like an old Paul Simon song. Then there are the more tender tracks, like "Grandmother" and "Soft and Sweet." The smirking "Wiggle Worm" is destined to become a concert favorite, while "City Livin'" recalls the '70s with punchy horns and groovy guitar. There's certainly nothing new about G. Love's "forget your troubles, listen to my music and just feel good" gospel, but this time out some of the songs seem a bit formulaic. Then there's the hazy, totally baked "Who's Got the Weed," replete with coughing and bong-hit sound effects. The title track gets closest to the blues as a solo acoustic track. Musically, it's pretty tasty but verses detailing the various heroic ways G. Love would save the world are contrasted with the confusing refrain "Awwww baby, my love don't seem the same." Huh? Superhero Brother will probably sound pretty good as background at a party, but there's not a lot of meat on these bones. ~ Sean Westergaard, All Music Guide