(The Root) — The Brooklyn, N.Y.-based, funk-soul collaborative the Menahan Street Band is back with its new collection of jazz- and funk-inspired tunes, The Crossing. The group, which features members from Budos Band, Antibalas, El Michels Affair and Sharon Jones & the Dap-Kings, infuses its latest album with the band's characteristic mélange of instrumentals, from heavy horns and piercing high hats to melodic saxes and woodwinds.
The Crossing, with its complex and captivating beats, will most likely land the Menahan Street Band in the production credits of several hip-hop projects, like the band's 2008 album, Make the Road by Walking — Kid Cudi and Jay-Z (recall Hov's 2007's hit "Roc Boys (And the Winner Is…)") being just two of the band's high-profile samplers.
Listen to the Menahan Street Band's The Crossing in its entirety at Rolling Stone. And, make sure to catch the group's latest album when it hits stores on Oct. 30 and when the band embarks on a 13-city tour in November and December. Watch their time-lapse music video of "Ivory and Blue" below.
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