" Not badly of artists ensure to hold providential " the Funk " but little have of it the gasoline, the experiment and the spirit to plant, in their heart and heart, it true sadness of Funk Music. Jay-double-You! is one of these people " – Flagpole Magazine, September 8, 1999, Athens, GA.

I couldn’t find better introduction to introduce you to this atypical character in the Funk world !

Jay-Double-You!, a.k.a., James Wright, was born and raised in Detroit, Michigan. He began his destined path to work in the music industry by hanging out with his older sister, Debbie, while she performed as a vocalist on gigs throughout Michigan. Debbie eventually met George Clinton and was asked to join Parliament-Funkadelic. Due to this association, Jay-Double-You! was able to watch, listen, and learn as members of Parliament-Funkadelic would come by their home; in addition, Jay-Double-You! had the privilege of sitting in on many studio recordings. Surrounded by the excitement and armed with his first set of drumsticks given to him from Tiki - Parliament-Funkadelic’s drummer, Jay-Double-You! learned how to play drums. As an adolescent, he made his professional debut as a session drummer at United Sound Systems. He worked for several years in recording studios with the likes of producer Don Davis and artists’ Bernie Worrell, Johnnie Taylor; and George Clinton and his Parliament Funkadelic road show favorites, Parlet and Brides of Funkenstein. Most notably, Jay-Double-You! was the original band leader and drummer of Parlet, and in fact, was responsible for bringing the musicians together to form the group.

After his experience with Parlet, Jay-Double-You! decided to pursue a solo career, concentrating both on writing and performing. He established his own record label/publishing company, “Talking Music” (BMI) - under which all of his recordings to date have been produced, released, published and distributed. He has recorded and released two singles "Talking to Myself" and "You Know What She Said”, a short EP "Funk for the New Millennium (If You Don't Believe Who Will?)”, and a full-length CD “I’ll See You Soon”, all of which he wrote and produced. He has sold and continues to sell CDs worldwide on his own as well as through several independent outlets located in Amsterdam, Netherlands; Paris, France; Pittsburgh, PA; Cleveland and Youngstown, OH; and Washington, D.C. In addition, independent radio stations in Bridgeport, CT, Youngstown, OH, Cleveland Heights, OH, and Washington, D.C.; and cyberspace stations, are currently supporting his music. These are noteworthy accomplishments considering the fact that he has functioned independently and with extremely limited resources.

Jay-Double-You! is a natural entertainer with super high energy, attitude, and a strong stage presence. His last performance, at the 2002 Freedom Festival in Sweetwater (TN), was so hot that the next band chose not to follow (true!). His talent, determination and hard work have resulted in a fan base that continues to grow.

Jay-Double-You! has received numerous positive reviews in local publications and has been featured in several larger publications including, but not limited to, the Urban Network (Burbank, CA) in 2001 and Funk-U Magazine (Paris, France) in 2000 and 2002. Note: In addition to articles and reviews in Funk-U Magazine, Jay-Double-You!’s name was featured on the front cover of the 2000 issue along with Prince, Sly Stone, Rick James, and Curtis Mayfield; and his song “Handle Your Business” from the “I’ll See You Soon” CD was selected to be included on the Funk-U CD compilation which accompanied the 2002 issue.

Jay-Double-You! continues to write, record, produce, and perform independently. Currently, he is recording his next full-length CD, which is expected to be completed sometime this year. With the right team, Jay-Double-You! will be a phenomenon in the music industry… let the music speak for itself.” (Official bio of Jay-Double-You! present on its Internet site: www.jaydoubleyou.com .

Okey dockey... After reading such a resume, I contacted Jay to give you the low-down on his solo career, his music and his latest Cd. You’ll find hereafter my impressions on the albums he had the kindness to send to me...

FUNK FOR THE MILLENIUM “EP” (1998) : 27’25

First off, before anything else the sleeve is superb!

Jay-Double You who’s a boss on drums, percussion, keyboards, vocals, piano and clavinet entirely composed this Ep, recorded with the assistance of Melvin Wells (on bass & rhythmic guitars, background vocals, organ and horn arrangements).

Two tracks are proposed on this "mini Cd": "Catch me on the Turnaround" and "Get All the Way Down", both in short and long versions... It’s a good thing because I like less "If you don' t believe who will" in spite of the message induced in the title... I’m not seduce by this track result ‘cause it’s too much psychedelic for my little ears, and unusually sad compared to the music we appreciate... Undoubtedly it’s glimpse of the gloomiest & darkest side inherent in P... It’s a shame because it sounded promising with the bass line!

"Catch me one the turnaround (short version)" is clearly P-Funk influenced. It’s a rather positive tune (therefore more accessible) dominated by the drums/guitar duet. The sound’s heavy with a compelling virtual horn.
Halfway between the two before-mentioned tracks already reviewed, "Get All the Way Down (short version)" eyes again on the "dark side of the Force"... Except the drums’ omnipresence gives a breath of fresh air to the entire performance.

Unfortunately, this first try suffers from an obvious lack of means: a “DIY”, computer-based P-Funk generating a sound much more synthetic than expected but it’s a good introduction to Jay’s universe.

NB: These first 3 tracks can be loaded on his site.

I’LL SEE YOU SOON (2001) : 52’12

It’s a beautiful sleeve as well but in a different kind of way (much less flashy).
On the back cover Jay-Double-You! writes about the " computerisation " of the sound and regrets its consequences... Is it a lesson learned in retrospect from his former LP ? That’s what I will try to discover...

"I'll See you Soon" opens the show. It’s still P but the contribution of musicians and genuine instruments gives a more lively dimension to the songs. Thus, with a genuine bass (purring to the max), a good rhythmic guitar, acoustic drums and a saxophone, you get a good groovy track.
Incidentally, I tried to describe Jay’s musical style but not his timbre yet, which is another issue to get familiar with ;o) Indeed, Jay-Double-You! possesses this original deep and haunting way of singing in keeping with P-syche style. Again, different strokes for different blokes : you enter his world or you don’t…

On "Ever Wonder Why", versatile Jay not only sings but also plays the drums and the keyboards. The song’s alright, but, I’m sorry to say it’s short of melody and fun... Parenthetically, the track obtained a more conclusive result on Mys35 and my sister, and once again it’s only my opinion, (nobody shonuf’ holds the monopoly of good taste!).
Follows a protest song against the musical industry (Jay seems to meet difficulties making a living out of his music, like most artists) and I like when people speak loud and clear ;o) One more thing, the drums is very present on "Handle your Business" and gives the beat. The rhythmic guitar riffs do the rest providing a more bluesy atmosphere than the other tunes. (Mind you, you must know what I’m talking about since the track was selected for the compilation in FUNK U’s last issue...).

The mood swings with the slow "Hurt so Bad (short version)". Very marked by the bass, this tracks does belong to the P-Funk galaxy, quite close to Bootsy’s style actually. I find the saxophone playing particularly pleasant, all length.

Then we reach the "chore" of the Cd (the part I prefer), with the two “funnier” tracks (and thus close to the essence of Funk) of the album : "Oooh-yeah" with the participation of Steve Boyd (singer for Parliament, George Clinton, The Red Hot Chili Pepper and Prince in Graffiti Bridge).
Even better, "My stuff" is my favorite one: it starts groovily with a very present bass (played by Torrance Scott) and Reggie Vickers on drums. This is the proof of my regrets expressed earlier on: with more means and if you can afford playing "live", the sound immediately comes out better !

We go on with a psychedelic-inspired track "Getcha, Getcha, Gotcha": it’s vanilla! In my defense, I don’t really appreciate this kind of loaded sound... It’s just a matter of taste, once again...

"Funk and Roll" closes the CD (even if a long version of "Hurt so Bad" actually follows): this track does not need any comment... Maybe, just one, add the word Blues plus a nice psychedelic solo at the end and you’ll get the flava of this cocktail!

Nota bene: 4 of these tracks are available on his site to help to “see and hear” for yourselves...

LOVE EVERYDAY (2003) : 44’45

We come to his red-hot release and quite unusually, the sleeve is not as nice as the others... Well, enough with for esthetics part, let’s instead concentrate on the sensations provided to our ears...

"Love Every Day", is close to dub reggae which is quite interesting since it’s an unusual change of feeling.

Dominated by the round bass , "Wise Up Rise Up" has his share of psychedelic guitar solos too. You are invited to stand up and fight to make things change... A praiseworthy and universal message after all!
With a track like "I Fantastic Feel", a fireworks of good mood could have been expected...
And hell, no ! Outbursts of joy aren’t Jay’s bag ! I’d like him to release himself (musically speaking !) on this track about his feelings after a rendezvous; even if this track is not to be rejected in block but it doesn’t surprise me and unfortunately don’t really move me...

André Fox (who released the album "Myllennium" Ref. P-Fortifies PCD-5380 on P-Fortifies in Japan in 1998) takes part in "I don' t want this night to be over", an haunting and mellow track with scattered xylophone solos .
I have another surprise with "Who said Life was Fair" since Jay ventures in Soul music pervasive in his way of singing. It is a pleasant track that softly denounces modern society shortcomings. Once more it’s an illustration of Jay’s tendency to say things clearly and in that I find it moving and worthy of interest!

The first part of the album is rather convincing but the other half leaves me rather indifferent, the tracks sounding too monotonous for me…

Hence the quick review of "Who are you Under" which is a mixture of psychedelic guitar and bass loops, with a stress on percussion providing a sort of tribal ambience; the badly named "Fun" is too dull; the slow "It' s about time", whose sharp contrast, between the words describing the frenzy of a meeting and the sadness of the music, disconcerted me... Lastly, with "A Thang one" proposed in “regular” version plus its “adornment” "Buddy Funky Mix".

Once again, 4 tracks can be downloaded on his site . Don’t let it keep you from purchasing his Cd if you like it !!!

In a nutshell, Jay Doubles You! delivers a music that, for most of us, will require more efforts to enter his world. I am not really keen on psychedelism, which undoubtedly explains my comments more moderate than usual... It is the first time I am so confused by an artist everyone describes as a Funkman... I find the man really interesting anyway I cannot cheat with my response to his music: I often had the impression to be on the borderline of Rock'n'roll because of the general mood. Then, I tried to search for reasons why I reacted this way and after close listening of his records, I came to the conclusion that Funkadelic had a huge influence on his musical evolution (and my own taste goes more easily on Parliament’s vibes than Funkadelic’s ones...). Additionally, let’s keep in mind that his daily life filled with some disillusions unquestionably marked out its life as an artist. This will give you a mixture with Psychedelism as main ingredient and Funk as trimmings....
The aficionados of this music style will be satisfied... Funk is multi-faceted and this statement is the evidence of FUNK musical richness !!!
So far as I’m concerned, my preference clearly goes to "I'll See You Soon"...

I’m waiting now for the next album (I expected more fun as you have already notice…) and the possibility to meet Jay during is expected trip in Europe next year to discuss of all that… ‘Cause at the end, it’s rather interesting when you don’t find all the clue at the first time ;o)