I Wanna Get Funky is the eighth studio album by Albert King, covering various blues tunes with heavy funk overtones, by Albert King, recorded in 1972 and released in 1974.[1] With a rhythm section led by the Bar-Kays and horn arrangements by the Memphis Horns, it is considered by AllMusic as a "another very solid, early-'70s outing".[1]
The album blends blues, funk, and soul, showcasing King’s expressive guitar work and the tight grooves of his backing band. According to Concord Music Group, "That's What the Blues Is All About" became King's biggest chart success of the decade, reaching number 15 on the Billboard Hot Soul Singles chart.[3]
Cover art
The album's cover art features a photograph of Albert King playing his guitar surrounded by swirling smoke, visually representing the fusion of blues intensity and funk ambiance that defines the album’s sound. The photo was taken by Maldwin Hamlin, contributing to the album’s distinctive and atmospheric visual identity.[4]
Critical reception
In Allmusic, Steve Counsel gave I Wanna Get Funky 5 out of 5 stars, calling it "The Album I Wanna Get Funky has some of Alberts best (studio) recorded guitar solos, the band is funky, the songs are soulful, the production beautiful, what an incredible record. It sounds just as good as it did when I first heard it in a record both in a soho record shop as a teenager, I felt I was transported to a sweaty club in the South, Albert blew my mind then and he still does, his playing has such authority he speaks through it in a profound way! No one played like Albert, Stevie Ray Vaughan tried but Jimmie took him somewhere else, Albert laid claim to rites of his name on this disc but he didn't shout about it he let others hail him as the King of the blues.[1]
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