Okay, I'll admit it. I wasn't expecting to like this album from Nu-Funk collective God Made Me Funky. Having listened to so-called funk bands around town, it appeared to me that Toronto funk = derivative and pretentious.

But this, the self-titled 16-track project from this Toronto-based urban collective of jazz vocalists, rappers and musicians truly (at the risk of sounding wildly cliche) bring the funk. It's a polished and funked up fusion of Jazz, Hip-Hop and R&B dipped in old school reverence. You've got all your standard funk motifs: the call and response (Bartenda), the smoked out psychedelic (Majikarpet) and the urban anthem (God Made Me Funky). The subterranean groove of Subway will grab you, that is, if the melodic musings of lead single Ur Own Way isn't already holding your ears hostage.

The independent project was just picked up this month for national distribution. Good for them. According to the website, the band is currently touring the East Coast. I'll make it an issue to check them out once they come back to the T-Dot.

Me likey.