September 27, 2008

Clinton is seldom wanting for good ideas, and on paper this covers set augmenting the P-Funk corps for a nation under a different kind of groove looks good. Such guest "Gangsters" as Carlos Santana, the Red Hot Chili Peppers, El DeBarge, RZA and a rare Sly Stone appearance make a compelling list of mothership passengers, but the lineup is ultimately better than the results. Santana's guitar certainly soars on the Impressions' "Gypsy Woman," the Chili Peppers are cheerfully loose on a churchy rendition of "Let the Good Times Roll," and Stone and DeBarge trade vocal licks during a spare, loping take of Marvin Gaye's "Ain't That Peculiar." But Clinton's smoky soul rasp is not quite enough to carry the other tracks, and the offhanded arrangements on an oddball set of middle-of-the-road pop hits are yawns compared with the front half of the album. —Gary Graff

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