With the release of their sixth album, From the Corner to the Block, the five-man group Galactic - drummer Stanton Moore, bassist Robert Mercurio, saxophonist/harmonica player Ben Ellman, keyboardist Richard Vogel, and guitarist Jeff Raines - reaffirm their standing as one of the funkiest outfits in the known universe. Featuring a cherry-picked guest list of some of hip-hop's most dynamic lyricists - including Juvenile, Gift of Gab (Blackalicious), Lyrics Born, Ladybug Mecca (Digable Planets), Mr. Lif, Chali 2na (Jurrasic 5), Vursatyl (Lifesavas), and Boots Riley (The Coup), From the Corner to the Block exposes Galactic's organic grooves to an urban ear while still maintaining their essential funk aesthetic.

The album features a diverse array of funky arrangements, vocal deliveries, and musical expressions, from sexy downtempo jams like "Squarebiz," featuring the ever-delectable Ladybug Mecca and singer Nino Moschella; to uptempo party-starters like "What You Need" with Lyrics Born, and "Hustle Up" with Boots Riley (which Mercurio calls "a total rock tune" dressed in funky threads); to semi-autobiographical tales of urban street life by Mr. Lif ("...And I'm Out"), Vursatyl & Ohmega Watts ("Find My Home"), Lateef the Truth Seeker ("No Way"), Gift of Gab ("The Corner"), and Chali 2na ("Think Back"). The song sure to raise eyebrows though is the title track and first single, featuring the Soul Rebels Brass Band and platinum rapper Juvenile (who tapped Galactic to back him on the "Jimmy Kimmel Show"). Even with all the different vocalists, the songs maintain a sense of thematic consistency. As Ellman explains, this was by design: the rappers were each asked to write about a corner. "It could have been any corner," he says. "Everyone had a different perspective." The result isn't just the grooviest, funkiest record of 2007, but perhaps the finest post-Katrina album to come out of New Orleans.

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Upcoming Tour Dates
Sep 22 2007 - 7:15 PM Chazzfest - Charleston, SC
Oct 11 2007 - 8 PM Orpheum - Flagstaff, Arizona
Oct 12 2007 - 8 PM House of Blues - Los Angeles, California
Oct 13 2007 - 8 PM The Fillmore - San Francisco, California
Oct 14 2007 - 7:30 PM MontBleu Resort Showroom - Stateline, Nevada
Oct 15 2007 - 8 PM Ashland Armory - Ashland, Oregon
Oct 17 2007 - 8 PM The Nightlight - Bellingham, Washington
Oct 19 2007 - 8 PM Showbox - Seattle, Washington
Oct 20 2007 - 8 PM McDonald Theatre - Eugene, Oregon
Oct 22 2007 - 8 PM Aggie Theatre - Ft. Collins, Colorado
Oct 24 2007 - 7 PM House of Blues - Dallas, Texas
Oct 25 2007 - 8 PM Meridian - Houston, Texas
Oct 26 2007 - 8 PM Voodoo Music Experience - New Orleans, Louisiana
Oct 27 2007 - 9 PM Tipitina’s Uptown - New Orleans, Louisiana
Oct 31 2007 - 6:30 PM Stubbs BBQ - Austin
Nov 1 2007 - 8 PM Varsity Theatre - Baton Rouge, Louisiana
Nov 2 2007 - 9 PM Georgia Theatre - Athens, Georgia
Nov 3 2007 - 8 PM Variety Playhouse - Atlanta, Georgia
Nov 4 2007 - 8 PM Music Farm - Charleston, South Carolina
Nov 6 2007 - 8 PM The Lincoln Theatre - Raleigh, North Carolina
Nov 7 2007 - 8 PM Visulite Theatre - Charlotte, North Carolina
Nov 8 2007 - 8 PM The Orange Peel - Asheville, North Carolina
Nov 9 2007 - 8 PM Toad’s Place - Richmond, Virginia
Nov 10 2007 - 8 PM Mr. Small’s Theatre - Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Nov 14 2007 - 8:30 PM 9:30 Club - WASHINGTON
Nov 15 2007 - 8 PM 8 X 10 - Baltimore, Maryland
Nov 16 2007 - 8 PM The Fillmore at the TLA - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Nov 17 2007 - 6:45 PM Roseland Ballroom - New York, New York
Nov 18 2007 - 7 PM Paradise Rock Club - Boston, Massachusetts
Jan 4 2008 - 12 AM Jam Cruise 6 - Ft. Lauderdale, Florida