Before there was War, there was Senor Soul, which saxaphonist/flutist Charles Miller formed in Long Beach, CA; he played on Brenton Wood sessions for Double Shot, who released their loose interpretation of Miriam Makeba's 'Pata Pata,' the hit that led to this blinding debut LP. Blending funk, Latin jazz and psychedelic soul, the group makes a range of material their own, led by Miller, and vibraphonist Edwin Stevenson; everything from Heard It Through The Grapevine to Psychotic Reaction gets the Senor Soul treatment, rendered with equal doses of sensitivity, humour, and funk flavor. Long before Miller recruited members of Nightshift to morph Senor Soul into War, this top-notch debut is a stone-cold winner from first note to last, a must-have for all funk and Latin jazz afficionados.