the original version is nothing short of a classic, but its as if the song had never been invited to a louie vega post-midnight global extravaganza. was the song not aware that spellbound dancing and high bpms were the standard for house music? normally, such a blaring disregard for nightlife decorum would relegate a song to the pits of sonic hell, but we’re talking about george clinton here! the original opens up with a g-funk groove that screams westside and lowriders. the listener is then blessed with clinton as he adds his sage, soulful and pimpadelic vocals, complemented by funkadelic singers asking him about the pains of the funk. the semblance of a beat that could drive the dancefloor into the morning hours is there, but in no way has it blossomed into its full glory. enter louie vega.

since its release last year, the grammy nominated album louie vega starring…xxviii has reached unfathomable heights, after 8 single vinyl releases and two full triple set album releases, we still have one more up our sleeve. today, here we are in the third and final installment of the louie vega starring…xxviii vinyl album release series, this time taking it to another level with unreleased and lost mixes. when making an album there are usually way more than the number of songs allocated for the project. in this case there were over 50 songs and tracks created for the louie vega starring…xxviii album. vega has selected 14 unreleased and lost tracks from the recordings and put together dj friendly versions with these super talented artists involved: funkadelic, nick monaco & soul clap, kenny bobien, cindy mizelle, maphorisa, berita, wanda baloyi & kabomo (south african top talent), roberto roena (of the fania all stars), brutha basil, jesse jackson (blues rock artist), sara devine, luis salinas (argentinean guitarist), duane harden (song/hitmaker), & 3 winans brothers featuring the clark sisters. the packaging is lovely with an open gatefold huge picture of a mural painted by none other than richard wilson uk artist. mastering by the great walter coelho, for sonic perfection & pressing manufactured by optimal in germany.

louie vega s latest album, louie vega starring... is a dualdisc conceptual record featuring over twenty-five artists on twenty-eight different songs. the record is louie vega’s first solo album ever and a contender for his magnum opus. vega is in esteemed company, with a seasoned group of collaborators imparting their magic for this special project including, funkadelic & george clinton, the 3 winans brothers and the clark sisters, jocelyn brown, nick monaco & soul clap, n dea davenport, lisa fischer, cindy mizelle, anane vega, monique bingham, caron wheeler (soul ii soul), josh milan, bucie, tony momrelle, kaylow, vikter duplaix, cassio ware, adeva, covertion & leroy burgess, kenny bobienl, zara mcfarlane, luis salinas, roberto roena, diviniti, and byron stingily.

the delivered sampling of featured artists on louie vega starring, is one for the record books and a must for any music aficionado as louie explains, this body of work is a masterpiece that will be party of my legacy. i see it up there on the same high shelf with albums like nuyorican soul, elements of life, and masters at work.