Long Live the Duke & the King is the sophomore album of rootsy folk, soul and funk by former The Felice Brothers drummer Simone Felice (vocals), Robert “Chicken” Burke (guitar), Simi Stone (violin), and former George Clinton musician Nowell Haskins (drums) – aka The Duke and the King. The group recorded the album in their Bearsville, NY shack located at the base of the Catksills (and neighbor to the namesake of the legendary music festival, Woodstock) and produced it themselves with ex-Zeppelin/Dylan mastering engineer Bob Ludwig putting together the final touches. The retro sounding album is polarizing – critics seem to either love it or hate it (detractors say that it is formulaic 70’s country rock), however the strong Crosby Stills Nash and Young vibe, multi-part harmonies, and talented multi-instrumentalism demonstrate an accomplished mastery of the genre, not mimicry. Give Long Live the Duke & the King a try and see which camp you find yourself in. – Written by JFelton
SIMILAR | Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young, Danny and the Champions of the World, The Felice Brothers, Fleetwood Mac, Sly and The Family Stone, Smokey Robinson