Counts, the – “What’s Up Front that Counts ” – [Westbound Records]

This six-piece funk band from Michigan started life as The Fabulous Counts before shortening their name and recording this amazing album in the early 70′s. Even with a running time of less than 30 minutes, WHAT’S UP FRONT is chock-full of breakbeats and samples that would make any modern hip hop DJ drool. Gloriously lo-fi and funky, The Counts offer up vocal and instrumental tracks featuring some slinky Hammond B-3 grooves and wild Funkadelic guitars. The Counts broke up in the mid-70′s, and two of their members went on to back disco star Hamilton Bohannon.