July/August 2000

Galactic
Late for the Future

By Tom Terrell

Real bands popping real sweat like Galactic does, will never go out of style. The six-piece Galactic (Robert Mercurio, bass; Jeff Raines, guitar; Stanton Moore, drums; Rich Vogel, keyboards; Ben Ellman, saxophone; Theryl "Houseman" de Clouet, vocals) takes the hot pants road on Late for the Future (ADV-CD, 57:12). Think Bump City-era Tower of Power cross-faded with the Meters, a young Bobby "Blue" Bland, Cannonball Adderley (Country Preacher). Cool enuff, but when Galactic toss in a little D.C. go-go/country rock ("Double Wide"), gospel organ/Roger "Dirty Dozen" Lewis' baritone sax ("Actions Speak Louder Than Words") or Howlin' Wolf-abstracts ("Century City"), Late for the Future is, ahem, right on time.