Let me start this review off by saying that Big Sam’s Funky Nation is one of my favorite New Orleans bands. Whenever you hear their funky grooves and witness their live energy, you can’t help but feel alive with the music. That being said, this CD is a disappointment.

The CD is not well done, and it’s not the performer’s fault. Big Sammie is an amazing trombone player and an entertaining front man. Fellow Dirty Dozen Brass Band member Jamie McLean (guitar) also appears on this disc. Loyola is represented too: recent graduate Jamelle Williams lays down trumpet lines for days. Calvin Turner (bass) and Jermaine “Leo” Lewis (drums) complete the funky rhythm section.

The album’s problem is that the band members produced it, and most of the blame falls on the shoulders of the record’s mix. It is saturated with too much reverb and other little tricks, making the tunes disjointed. Instead of producing it themselves, the band should have hired a professional producer to make their music come alive on record.

The songs are good, and you get the distinct impression from listening to them that they’d sound amazing live, but the energy on this disc just isn’t the same. The song “Big Sam’s Funky Nation,” one of the only tracks on the CD with vocals (featuring Vegas Cola), has a delay effect on the vocal track that could have been avoided altogether.

My personal favorite track is “Ain’t Nothin’ but a Party,” featuring the Lil’ Stooges Brass Band and blistering solos from most of the players in the session. This is the closest the album gets to a live energy, which is missing throughout most of the disc.

If you really want to get the whole Big Sam’s experience, you have to go to one of their shows. Check Big Sam out at the Funky Butt every Sunday night or other dates. You won’t be disappointed.