The Chicken Slacks
Can You Dig It?

Funk and soul revivalists The Chicken Slacks are a great live band, which is a distinction confidently made even though I’ve never seen them live. Can You Dig It?, their latest release, is a collection of originals and covers. The album kicks off with an obscure Beefheart tune that transitions seamlessly into Eddie Floyd’s underrated Stax single “On A Saturday Night.” The whole album sounds as if recorded in one take, lending the cover tunes some extra live-performance pep. And the originals range from knee-slap funny filler tunes — during “I Wanna Take A Shower With You,” front man Diamond D Wilkerson expresses his desire for a female shower companion — to sensitive and tender ballads like “Only A Fool Gets To Heaven,” where vocalist/trumpeter John Moriconi vents about being cheated on by his woman, then blames himself for taking her back. Only a great live band could make such a sappy song feel passionate on a recorded effort, and that’s something The Slacks do to perfection on Dig It. Catch the band on Funky Friday August 28 at Ralph’s. chickenslacks.com.