What Is It

There is something instantly striking about What Is It. No slow build, no gentle introduction. Just a heavy, crystal-clear slab of funk that lands with intent and never really lets up.

S.O.U.L. operate with precision here, but never at the expense of feel. The band’s musicianship is tight without sounding rigid, and that balance is what gives the record its weight. Nowhere is that more obvious than on ‘Burning Spear’, a track that has become their defining moment. The interplay between bass and flute is both intricate and hypnotic, locking into a groove that feels as fluid as it is controlled.

Elsewhere, ‘Soul’ stands out as a quieter kind of triumph. It moves with a different energy, less about force and more about atmosphere, yet just as compelling. Its later use by the Jungle Brothers on ‘In Dayz 2 Come’ only reinforces what is already clear here: this is a record built on ideas that travel well beyond their original context.

Throughout, Lee Lovett’s vocals bring a smoothness that offsets the album’s more muscular moments. They never overpower the instrumentation, instead sitting comfortably within it, adding texture rather than dominance. It is this restraint that keeps What Is It from tipping into excess.

What remains is an album that feels both immediate and enduring. Rooted firmly in the early 1970s yet still sharp in its execution, What Is It captures a band fully in command of their sound.

For those willing to meet it on its own terms, it is not just a great funk record. It is an essential one.