The Big Ol’ Nasty Getdown: “Mellow/Dream EP” (2022) Vinyl Review

The Big Ol’ Nasty Getdown is a great funky band that delivers some delicious jams and also has different vocalists join them on certain tracks. Two vocalists who joined the group on the band’s second full-length record, Volume 2, which was released in 2018, were Kendra Foster and Taylor Dayne – Kendra Foster on “Mantra,” and Taylor Dayne on “Dream.” Both of those talented singers are also featured on the band’s 2022 EP, Mellow/Dream EP, which is available on vinyl.  Here the band revisits “Dream,” this time with three different versions of the song, along with another song, “Mellow,” that one featuring Kendra Foster. And there are two versions of that song included on the EP. The music is excellent, and this EP is presented on white vinyl (yeah, I have a weakness for different colors when it comes to my vinyl collection). And actually, there is something I failed to mention in my previous reviews of releases by this band, and that’s the album cover artwork. Each of the records I’ve reviewed has had some pretty damn cool artwork, which is something you might expect from a band that thrives in a jam environment. I love an album cover that you just want to lose yourself in while listening to the music, an album cover that adds to the overall experience, and that has largely been the case with each of this band’s records. But this one in particular stands out, and is probably my favorite of the bunch. The artwork is done by James Flames, and it is beautiful. The back cover is just as cool as the front, with the artwork there inspired by the lyrics to “Dream.”

Side A

The first side of the EP is dedicated to “Mellow,” a song written by Kendra Foster, Ryan Martinie, John Heintz and Frank Mapstone. The first version presented here features Kendra Foster’s vocals. Her approach is at first kind of smooth. “Believe in my vibe/I’m worth it, honey/I know how to get some/Alleviate all my pressure from me/I know how to get some.” And she is able to build from there. I love when this one gets a bit wild, a bit heavier, as she repeats, “I just want to take you everywhere.” The song then returns to that cool groove, and features some nice stuff on keys. That’s Jamar Woods on keys. This track also features Josh Blake on guitar, Ryan Martinie on bass, Alvin Ford Jr. on drums, Cynthia Robinson on trumpet, and Jerry Martini on saxophone. You probably know Cynthia Robinson and Jerry Martini from their work in Sly And The Family Stone. This EP is dedicated to Cynthia Robinson, who died in 2015. It is believed that this is the final track she recorded, and she delivers a wonderful lead in the middle of it. The music gets heavier again as Kendra Foster repeats “Smokin’,” and I am particularly fond of this section of the track. I also love that lead on keys that follows that section. And if that isn’t enough to make this track worth listening to, there is also an excellent lead on saxophone. And if that isn’t enough for you, there is some fun scat toward the end, some great vocal play over some fantastic work on drums. Forget the song’s title at this point, for this part is certainly not mellow.

The first side of the EP also contains an instrumental version of “Mellow,” and here we can focus even more on the drum work toward the end. As much as I love Kendra Foster’s vocal work, the last section of the song is perhaps even better in this instrumental version. Certainly it’s more powerful, and takes us on a wilder journey. As for the earlier parts of the track, it is all about the groove.

Side B

The second side of the EP is “Dream.”  The first version included here is that with the Taylor Dayne vocals. I mentioned this in my review of Volume 2, but I was not all that familiar with Taylor Dayne’s work. I revisited a couple of those hits from the late 1980s, but those songs don’t really do much for me. But if this track is any indication of the direction she’s gone in since then, I need to give a listen to some of her more recent output, because she delivers one hell of a great performance here. “But the hardest part of waking up is knowing you’re not real/And the saddest thing of staying up is knowing you’re a dream, you’re just a dream.” By the way, the inside jacket contains the lyrics, and I’m noticing now whoever wrote them put “your a dream” instead of “you’re a dream.” Whoops! The musicians backing her on this track are Tori Ruffin on guitar, Ryan Martinie on bass, Ivan Neville on organ, and Jeffrey Suttles on drums. I am particularly fond of that lead on organ in the second half. “Dream” was written by Taylor Dayne, Tori Ruffin, Ryan Martinie, John Heintz and Frank Mapstone.

The second track is the instrumental version of “Dream.” With this version, I tend to focus on that great work on keys, but at moments I do find myself missing the vocals. This track also gives us a better opportunity to dig the song’s bass line. The final track on this record is “Dream (Original Recording),” a title that I found interesting, since I had just assumed that the Taylor Dayne version was the original version. There is a different intro to this version, and an added psychedelic element, which I love. This version is a couple of minutes longer than the other two, and features some really nice work on guitar. The guitar gets a chance to stretch out, with opportunity for some exploration here. It’s more of a jam than the previous track.

Record Track List

Side A

1. Mellow
2. Mellow (Instrumental)

Side B

1. Dream
2. Dream (Instrumental)
3. Dream (Original Recording)

Mellow/Dream EP was released on November 22, 2022.