The Best of G. Love & Special Sauce

This collection only spans the band's first five albums, leaving out such staples as "The Things That I used To Do" from their 1994 self-titled debut and "Pull The Wool" from 1997's Yeah, It's That Easy. But while any ardent fan could burn you a better sequence, this particular compilation is actually a pretty good place for the uninitiated to begin. "Blues Music" opens the album and epitomizes the overall sound of this Philadelphia trio. Garrett Dutton (or G. Love as he likes to be called) rhymes lyrical phrasings about digging old blues music as drummer Jeff Clemens works his kit to sound like a laid back and organic drum machine, while upright bass player Jim Prescott matches deep bass grooves with Dutton's rootsy guitar licks. In simplified terms, it's acoustic white boy hip-hop with roots planted in early Beck 45s and Beastie Boys b-sides, but they add their own thing: the secret sauce is a Philly basted tinge of blue eyed soul that doesn't come across as affected as Dutton's exaggerated drawl.