MonoNeon
Put On Earth For You
***and1/2 out of *****
The prolific MonoNeon's newest dose of funk/soul/R&B is a juicy cocktail that remains positive with it's slinky grooves and electron buzzes. Dwanye Thomas Jr. genuinely seems to enjoy the oddball tunes he delivers, but that is not to say it is easy.
After the carnival like instrumental opener "Earth Is A Circus" MonoNeon delivers an incredibly affecting ode titled "What You Think In The Shower Means More Than You Know". The track is a plea for positivity and dealing with your mental health as Thomas lays down the cool R&B backing, while singing about it being hard to be human in a reassuring manner.
Of course theses introspective outings are counter-weighed with doo-doo breath jokes "Theme From Stank Mouth" and desert therapy silliness "Peaches and Cream". The funky and super inclusive "Million Of Lives Shine On As One" seems to channel his past collaborator Prince while the hypothetical jazz tinged outing "The Black Bag of Surprise" feels like it could role on for another few minutes during its great piano outro.
A few guests help out as Declaime rhymes for the funk of it on "All Hands On Deck (Break Your Neck)" and David Fiuczynski who shows up to freak out on "Undercover On The Diamond Floor". The only stumble on Put On Earth For You is the poppy punk try out "Sunny Side Up, Good Luck (A Place For The Others)" which never gets poppy or punky enough, ending up like a high school bands demo.
The album ends on a serious high note with the gospel inspired title track, incorporating large backing vocals, trumpets, slinky grooves and killer guitar work. MonoNeon can seemingly do it all, and usually does as his muse takes him in various directions, spreading the funky stuff as he progresses through this world.
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