Superhero Brother

G. Love & Special Sauce continue their ping-pong trajectory between funk, hip-hop, soul, and pop on Superhero Brother (although traces of hip-hop here are admittedly scant), and reach a pinnacle of soulful hippie-dom with the single, “Peace, Love & Happiness.”  You can’t argue with the message (“If you’re hatin’, you’re sure not livin’”), but it also swings in an infectious sweet and summery way that makes you want to hug your neighbor while you share a cold one on your front stoop. The entire record is filled with a light and breezy feel: “Wiggle Worm” is just as much fun as “Peace, Love,” with muscular, swaggering harmonicas and keyboards weaving in and out of Love’s playful vocals; “Soft and Sweet” is a gently rocking and disarmingly endearing ode to parental love, while the plucky “Grandmother” celebrates its topic with funky guitars and a slinky groove; the charming “Wontcha Come Home” has a sprinkling of tropical spice with sparkling acoustic guitars and plinking pianos. There's plenty of funky get-up-and-go on tracks like party-starters “What We Need” and “Georgia Brown,” plus a clear display of affection for vintage soul and pop on tracks like “Communication” and “City Livin.”