The White Blinds are a relatively new funk/jazz group from Los Angeles, a trio composed of drummer Michael Duffy of Ozomatli, organist Carey Frank of Tedeschi Trucks, and guitarist Matt Hornbeck. Together, they’ve sought to create a throwback sound, which comes across on their debut album, Get To Steppin’.

When these three got together, they were looking towards musicians like The Meters, Jimmy Smith, and Jimmy McGriff as inspiration, and it comes through on this album. The White Blinds are all about that classic organ-driven soul/funk, and they don’t try to do too much here – they just stay true to themselves and the music that they love. The real key here is just how tight this trio is. The might be relatively new, but they play like a group that’s been together for years. The grooves that you’ll be bobbing your head to are he result of some really intricate melodic and rhythmic interplay between these three, and because everything is so perfectly lined up, the music just bounces that much more. Duffy sits at the front of the pocket with his drumming, so that while you have these great funky grooves, he’s also pushing the energy of the album forward. Frank is the main attraction on the organ, filling out the sound of the group, covering basslines, and just giving us tons of that fat, bright Hammond sound that I love so much. The real secret weapon, though, is Hornbeck’s work on guitar, the way he’s constantly shifting between rhythm and melody, essentially covering two or three parts at once. Between Frank and Hornbeck, they manage to create a sound that feels much bigger than just a trio, due to all of their interplay and covering of parts. On top of all this, with the exception of Jimmy McGriff’s “Blue Juice” to close out the album, it’s all original compositions. It’s just an incredibly well-rounded album.

It might be an older sound that’s present on Get To Steppin’, but The White Blinds treat the music with so much love, care, and enthusiasm, everything sounds fresh and new. They’re giving us some absolutely fantastic, intricate, and energetic funk with their debut album, and it just sounds great.