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20 best funk albums of 2014

The best funk band releases of 2014 are listed here in all their glory.

We love putting together lists of great funk music, because there is so much out there that you can easily miss since terrestrial and even satellite radio completely ignore many of the bands on our list with very few exceptions.

So break out your wallets and get ready for the funkiest bands in 2014.  We purposely didn’t add numbers in order to make sure that all are created equal in their funkiness. Enjoy this list, complete with links to check the albums on iTunes and in some cases even get and listen to the albums for free!

  • Brand New Heavies – Sweet Freaks (album link)
    Some of the pioneers of acid jazz funk are back to their original order with new vocalist Dawn Joseph at the helm.
  • Rock Candy Funk Party – Live At The Iridium (album link)
    Rock Candy Funk Party is a conglomeration of great musicians and here they are performing live and captured and glorious.
  • New Mastersounds – Therapy (album link)
    The funky Englishmen hit the world with a great release and are even already in the process of creating a new album. They never stop.
  • Big Ol’ Dirty Bucket – Bucket Express (album link)
    On the flip side of a recent band shakeup, the band still released one of the best funk albums of the year. Here’s hoping it’s not their last. You can even listen to the full album on their website.
  • Freekbass – Everybody’s Feelin’ Real (album link)
    One of the funkiest bassists on the planet kills it with this crazy thumping journey.
  • Mike Zabrin – Funktastic (album link)
    We covered this debut album back in the summer of 2014 from the insane new bassist with incredibly catchy songs. An impressive launch.
  • Five Alarm Funk – Abandon Earth (album link)
    Canadian funk band Five Alarm Funk strikes again with another energized release that will blow up your speakers.
  • Analog Son – (album link)
    Analog Son got our attention earlier in the year and we still can’t take it out of our CD player..
  • Polyrhythmics – Live From The Banana Stand (oct. 2013) (album link)
    The Polyrhythmics take their amazing Libra Stripes album on the road and it’s insanely funky.
  • The Motet (album link )
    The Motet is simply fantastic and this album showcases a flash of the funkiness of their live shows.
  • Dopegems – necksnappin (album link)
    The necksnappin’ technically will come from all of the head bobbing you’ll be doing.
  • fo/mo/deep – groovy goodness (album link)
    Super infused with jazz elements, it’s magnificently laid back.
  • Floozies – Tell Your Mother (album link)
    This duo is super 80’s style funky and even better, use the album link and get it free. Yeah, we said it.
  • Earphunk – Sweet Nasty (album link)
    Another free album from Earphunk and it’s super duper funkafied goodness. Listen or download from their site.
  • Big Sam’s Funky Nation – Evolution (album link | website)
    The band that burns more calories in their live shows than anyone we know puts out another funky masterpiece.
  • Karl Densons Tiny Universe – New Ammo (album link)
    Killer new album from multi-instrumentalist Karl Denson that even features appearances from Mike Dillon, The White Stripes and more.
  • The Budos Band – Burnt Offering  (album link)
    Deep heavy ominous grooves and thick horns with a south of the border flair that could serve as the backdrop for a Quentin Tarantino movie.
  • Mingo Fishtrap – On Time (album link)
    If Gavin deGraw got stuck in the New Orleans bayou for a few years of his life, this is what his next album would sound like. But better.
  • Brownout – Brown Sabbath (album link)
    Funk band Brownout takes the tunes of Black Sabbath and recrafts them for their own purpose.  It’s dark, brooding and masterfully classic.
  • Kung Fu – Tsar Bomba (album link)
    Energized funky jazz music flair with crisp New Orleans style vocals and tasty Leslie licks and snap riffs.

Bonus

Funkadelic – First Ya Gotta Shake The Gate (album link)
A huge oversight and literally coming in during the last week of December 2014, George Clinton and the boys slapped out a 3 CD collection of songs for the first time in 34 years. When you guys are right, you’re right.

Extra Bonuses
Check the suggestions below from our readers.

Did we miss some more? Add them to the comments below!  Hook us up and remember, the albums had to have been released in 2014 to qualify for the list.

38 thoughts on “20 Best Funk Albums of 2014

  1. Hi! You have missed an album released in Sweden, M-ROCK “Phunk Observatory”. That´s some really funky stuff!
    BR
    Benny

  2. Not to be a pain in the butt, but the Heavies album Sweet Freaks is not with Ndea, it’s the first album with their new singer Dawn Joseph, who also sang some tunes on the Forward album.

  3. From Canada
    The Down Right – Weapons of Funk Construction
    After Funk – After Funk
    KC Roberts and the Live Revolution

    1. Yeah, we were doing a separate piece on that album due to the significance of it, but you’re right. It’s been remedied and added to the list as a bonus. Watch for our piece on the album coming soon.

  4. Maybe more on the intersection between jazz and funk but I think that We Like It Here from Snarky Puppy could have a place in this list.

  5. The Get Up – Straight from the hob
    Philip Lassiter – Philty & Dreamzz
    Euforquestra – Fire
    Osaka Monaurail – Riptide
    Horndogz – Woof
    Mr President – Hips Shaking
    Sonny Knight & The Lakers – I´m Still Here
    Miles Tackett – Fool Who Wonders
    And of Course…. M-Rock

  6. California Flight
    featuring their 7 times Grammy nominated singer-songwriter
    The New Funk Hook Master Jerrij Bobelli Johnson

    Its a wrap they single handily help J pop Soul be recognize a genre in the music genre academy J Pop is hotter than grease on a potato in a skillet these kats rocking all over Ole g’s but new g’s with Cutest Smile , Hooking All night their theme classic song California Flight. Summer is Here and the legendary song God gifted and so so many more their new join Project 5 California Flight E P on Famous Music is getting rave reviews . They been attaching new material to Coast to Coast and I Heart Radio, I Heart Radio blew them far and above the radar. Class vintage funk an raw vocals never been done ever. California Flight might be the best ever to Funk Pop Jazz soulfully and melodically snap hits after hits ever. Not that Typical Girl, Peace Out, Oakland Girls , I am a true fan for life I speak truth these are the real legend lethal funk masters they can funk anything . Its like a movie ready to unfold and on Universal Music Groups systems they lay in the cut and BAM they bring out those lethal Funk hooks these Ole g’s are for real for real . Check them Out. The most funkiest band yet California Flight Project.

  7. I’m desperately searching for the music video where some black guy is fighting a samurai version of himself. Awesome song and I love the rhythm.

  8. Yours is a superb list of funky stuff. Here are some of my recent discoveries:

    Monophonics – Into the Infrasounds
    Lettuce – Crush
    Mo’ Blow – check out all three albums from this excellent German jazz-funk combo, now defunct
    Haggis Horns – What Comes To Mind (good stuff, but not as good as Hot Damn!)
    London Afrobeat Collective – Food Chain
    All of the Paris DJs Soundsystem compilations – Afrobeat from bands like Jungle Fire and the Polyrhyhmics

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