One of funk’s most important, most eccentric artists, Bootsy Collins’s aim on this latest record was to “create a mystical monster born between a pee-hole and a[n] asshole”. It’s hard to judge how successful World Wide Funk is on those terms, but the bassist/singer-songwriter’s ninth solo album has plenty to offer. Anachronistic at times, it’s still endearingly schmaltzy, with Kali Uchis’s delicious intonations, smooth rap from Blvck Seeds, and twinkling, Dilla-esque keys on Hi-on-Heels (co-written and produced by Snoop Dogg). Collins’s relentlessly strutting bass and strangely sensual, commanding vocals shine throughout. Nearly 50 years since his first band, Bootsy’s still got the funk.
