If you have ever longed for a reincarnation of James Brown in the relatively short five years since he passed, I highly recommend you take a moment and check out Black Joe Lewis and the Honeybears. Not only does vocalist Lewis sound a smidgen like the late Brown, he and the Honeybears possess the same spirit that possessed Brown. The R&B and funk vibes in each of these 11 songs is undeniably contagious, with the band managing to ratchet things up an energetic notch on songs like Booty and Mustang Ranch. Although the group may never reach mass acceptance, Black Joe Lewis and The Honeybears certainly stand out as an original in a time of so much blandness.