Graham Central Station now makes its triumphant return with the release of Raise Up, a collection of 13 tracks that include new master recordings of three of the band’s favorite songs – “Now Do U Wanta Dance,” “It Ain’t No Fun To Me,” and “It’s Alright” – along with 10 new songs that mix funk, soul and pop, and deliver it with infectious horn arrangements and powerful vocals. The album features special guest appearances by Prince (on 3 tracks) and Raphael Saadiq, who – just like Graham and all the current GCS band members – also hails from Oakland, California.
The current line-up of Graham Central Station consists of Larry Graham, Wilton “Fab” Rabb on guitar, Jimi “Joy” McKinney on keyboards/horns, Dave “City” Council on organ/keyboards, Brian “Rio” Braziel on drums, Ashling “Biscuit” Cole on vocals and Funkbox and Larry Graham’s wife “Tina” on backing vocals.
Four decades after Graham Central Station’s first outing, the same potent ingredients that made the band a funk powerhouse in its early years are still very much in the mix: thumping funk rhythms, infectious melodies and riffs, tight grooves, and of course, that churning slap-and-pluck bass undercurrent that pushes it all into overdrive.
But somewhere in the midst of this party is an equally important emotional component as well, says Graham. “I consider the music that I make to be heart-to-heart music,” he says. “My main objective is to take what’s in my heart and touch your heart. I don’t want it to stop at your brain. If it did, you could just dispose of it the next day. I want it to get inside you, into your heart. My hope is that everything that I’ve done is a heart-to-heart connection, something that will stick and help you to raise up.”
Step into “Graham Central Station”, hop on board and make the connection.
