So yes, it’s been quite a while since I last blogged about music. But I HAD to come back with this!! When I was a kid, I heard a song that my sister’s then-boyfriend Bobby played for me. I heard it and I was in love with it. That song was “Cool” by a funk band called The Time. I’m not sure exactly what did it for me – it was a combination of the musical elements, the tune, and most of all the sheer arrogance of the lyrics…”Ain’t nobody bad like me. I’m just COOL!” Bobby actually ended up giving me that album and I still have it today. And here began my affair with 7ven of the baaadest musicians on the planet: Morris, Jesse, Jerome, Monte, Jimmy, Terry and Jellybean – The Time. I remember when I first saw the movie Purple Rain, I became obsessed with Prince – one of the best musicians ever. Yes, his posters were all over my wall – I kept them all through high school and even took them to college! But I digress…

During my second viewing (of well over 30 or so subsequent viewings!) of Purple Rain I was drawn back to The Time. Morris and company stole the show! I almost promised my sister my firstborn when she bought me a copy of their album Ice Cream Castle for my birthday that year! These dudes were off the chain! Well fast forward to 2011…after 21 years off the vinyl together, the band recently released a new CD (accompanied by a DVD documentary) entitled Condensate. A word of caution…you won’t find it filed under The Time. The band formerly known as The Time is now The Original 7ven – named after the fact that all seven original members are back, and they are back with FIYAH!! The name may have changed, but these guys are still spitting out the funk. The documentary is well-worth purchasing as part of a set and offers a comprehensive history of these musical genii. I finally got my copy and after just one listen, I can already tell this is going to be in HEAVY rotation in the Honda (AND on the iPad, AND on my computer…)

Years ago, I would be annoyed that people only seemed to know The Time for songs like “Jungle Love” and “The Bird,” not knowing anything about “Cool” and “Get it Up” (another fave of mine from their self-titled debut album). But alas, I still hope for a new generation of fellow music appreciators that will help bring The Original 7ven back into the forefront – ahead of Auto-tune laced tracks and nonsensical lyrics. I’m hoping the youngins will take a lesson from these 7ven – on the true definition of a BAND. I am glad to see them BACK, and they are still C-O-O-L!

Check out their Facebook Fan Page for more information and tour updates.