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“I’ve been in the game a long time, but I’ve always considered myself a student,” says G. Love. “Finishing this album with Keb Mo’ felt like graduation.” Recorded in Nashville with a slew of special guests including Robert Randolph, Marcus King, and Roosevelt Collier, ‘The Juice’ is indeed diploma-worthy. Co-produced and co-written with GRAMMY-winning icon Keb Mo’, it’s an electrifying collection, one that tips its cap to more than a century of blues greats even as it offers its own distinctly modern pop spin on the genre and solidifies his place in music history as a genre-bending pioneer with a sound The New York Times described as “a new and urgent hybrid” and NPR called a “musical melting pot.” G. Love’s lyrics are both personal and political here, artfully balancing his appreciation for the simple joys in life with his obligation to speak out for justice and equality, and his performances are suitably riotous and rousing to match, with infectious call-and-response hooks and funky sing-along choruses at every turn. Easy as it is to succumb to cynicism these days, the songs on ‘The Juice’ refuse, insisting instead on hope and determination in the face of doubt and despair. “I’ve never been the kind of guy who thinks he’s going to change the world with his guitar,” reflects G. Love. “But maybe I can write the kind of songs that give strength and encouragement to the people who are out there doing the work to make this planet a better place. Those are the people I want to lift up with my music.”
AllMusic Review by Stephen Thomas Erlewine
Now that they're over a quarter-century into their career, it's time to come to terms with a simple fact: G. Love & Special Sauce are no longer youthful upstarts, they're veterans. Fittingly, their 2020 album The Juice is the kind of record that could only be made by musicians who've been around the block a time or two. It's not that The Juice is the work of untrammeled virtuosos – it is most decidedly a vibe record – but rather that it's an album that's casually confident that also happens to have an offhand sense of community. At its core, The Juice derives from a series of Nashville sessions held with Keb' Mo', who is credited as a co-producer and appears on a fair chunk of the album. The bluesman helps focus G. Love, tightening up individual songs which in turn helps the entire album gel. G. Love still has plenty of moments where he indulges in a bit of goofball humor, but his party is inclusive and good-spirited, filled with plenty of exhortations for peace and love. His openheartedness is accentuated by guest appearances by fellow blues musicians: six-string hotshot Marcus King plays on the title track, Robert Randolph cranks up the funk on "Birmingham," Ron Artis helps "Diggin' Roots" achieve a relaxed sunniness, while Roosevelt Collier rides out the vamp on "Soul-B-Que." It all adds up to an album that is cheerful and, thanks to the steady hand of Keb' Mo', deceptively sharp. Anything that seems ragged or a loose end is there for flavor, giving this record a relaxed, cheerful groove so offhand, it could only be conjured by old hands.
Tracklist:
1. The Juice (feat. Marcus King) (03:07)
2. SoulBQue (feat. Roosevelt Collier) (04:40)
3. Go Crazy (feat. Keb' Mo') (03:40)
4. Shake Your Hair (05:18)
5. Fix Your Face (03:15)
6. She's the Rock (03:52)
7. Diggin' Roots (feat. Ron Artis II) (04:26)
8. Shine on Moon (feat. Keb' Mo') (03:22)
9. Birmingham (feat. Robert Randolph & Keb' Mo') (04:23)
10. Drinkin' Wine (04:13)
11. The Juice (Reprise) (00:29)
12. The Juice (Live) (04:06)
“I’ve been in the game a long time, but I’ve always considered myself a student,” says G. Love. “Finishing this album with Keb Mo’ felt like graduation.” Recorded in Nashville with a slew of special guests including Robert Randolph, Marcus King, and Roosevelt Collier, ‘The Juice’ is indeed diploma-worthy. Co-produced and co-written with GRAMMY-winning icon Keb Mo’, it’s an electrifying collection, one that tips its cap to more than a century of blues greats even as it offers its own distinctly modern pop spin on the genre and solidifies his place in music history as a genre-bending pioneer with a sound The New York Times described as “a new and urgent hybrid” and NPR called a “musical melting pot.” G. Love’s lyrics are both personal and political here, artfully balancing his appreciation for the simple joys in life with his obligation to speak out for justice and equality, and his performances are suitably riotous and rousing to match, with infectious call-and-response hooks and funky sing-along choruses at every turn. Easy as it is to succumb to cynicism these days, the songs on ‘The Juice’ refuse, insisting instead on hope and determination in the face of doubt and despair. “I’ve never been the kind of guy who thinks he’s going to change the world with his guitar,” reflects G. Love. “But maybe I can write the kind of songs that give strength and encouragement to the people who are out there doing the work to make this planet a better place. Those are the people I want to lift up with my music.”
AllMusic Review by Stephen Thomas Erlewine
Now that they're over a quarter-century into their career, it's time to come to terms with a simple fact: G. Love & Special Sauce are no longer youthful upstarts, they're veterans. Fittingly, their 2020 album The Juice is the kind of record that could only be made by musicians who've been around the block a time or two. It's not that The Juice is the work of untrammeled virtuosos – it is most decidedly a vibe record – but rather that it's an album that's casually confident that also happens to have an offhand sense of community. At its core, The Juice derives from a series of Nashville sessions held with Keb' Mo', who is credited as a co-producer and appears on a fair chunk of the album. The bluesman helps focus G. Love, tightening up individual songs which in turn helps the entire album gel. G. Love still has plenty of moments where he indulges in a bit of goofball humor, but his party is inclusive and good-spirited, filled with plenty of exhortations for peace and love. His openheartedness is accentuated by guest appearances by fellow blues musicians: six-string hotshot Marcus King plays on the title track, Robert Randolph cranks up the funk on "Birmingham," Ron Artis helps "Diggin' Roots" achieve a relaxed sunniness, while Roosevelt Collier rides out the vamp on "Soul-B-Que." It all adds up to an album that is cheerful and, thanks to the steady hand of Keb' Mo', deceptively sharp. Anything that seems ragged or a loose end is there for flavor, giving this record a relaxed, cheerful groove so offhand, it could only be conjured by old hands.
Tracklist:
1. The Juice (feat. Marcus King) (03:07)
2. SoulBQue (feat. Roosevelt Collier) (04:40)
3. Go Crazy (feat. Keb' Mo') (03:40)
4. Shake Your Hair (05:18)
5. Fix Your Face (03:15)
6. She's the Rock (03:52)
7. Diggin' Roots (feat. Ron Artis II) (04:26)
8. Shine on Moon (feat. Keb' Mo') (03:22)
9. Birmingham (feat. Robert Randolph & Keb' Mo') (04:23)
10. Drinkin' Wine (04:13)
11. The Juice (Reprise) (00:29)
12. The Juice (Live) (04:06)