G. Love & Special Sauce

Although the CD doesn't hit stores until Tuesday, audience members at G. Love & Special Sauce's March 2000 concert at Mars Night Club (now called Axis) got a sample of songs from the group's new album, The Electric Mile. While the preview in a smoky club got fans used to the rhythm and sound of the new album, listening to Electric Mile is the only way to truly get into the groove.\nWith G. Love (real name Garrett Dutton) contributing lead vocals, guitar and harmonica, Jeff Clemens on drums and Jimmy Prescott on upright bass, the band provides an album full of its distinctive hip-hop blues sound -- and that's not all.\nThe Electric Mile contains elements of rap, soul, ska, reggae and just about every other style of music you can think of. It has all the best elements of any G. Love album -- G. Love's unique "is he singing or is he rapping" vocal delivery, interesting and dance-inducing sounds from a variety of instruments and songs with creative lyrics. But The Electric Mile also shows how the group has matured and altered its sound, taking the band into new territory. G. Love & Special Sauce isn't afraid to try new things on this album, and the willingness to evolve is just one reason to enjoy listening to the CD.\nA good example is the third track, "Night of the Living Dead." The song begins with quick, severe sounds from Prescott's bass that transition into to upbeat rhythms from Clemens on drums, finally settling into a mellow guitar melody. While this song is kind of a combination platter of musical styles, other tracks stick more to a particular genre. A few of the best are "Sarah's Song," where G. Love goes country, relying heavily on twangy guitar and harmonica. "Shy Girl" has a background rhythm that sounds like smooth jazz or certain old Motown songs.\nAll of these songs are unmistakably G. Love. But all of The Electric Mile has a smoother, more polished sound. This could be because of more sophisticated production values, but I like to think it's because the band continues to improve and experiment.