V (LP)

New York afro-soul/psychedelic favorites The Budos Band return with their fifth studio album, Budos Band V.

Calling the album Budos Band V is a return to form after the previous LP, 2014's Burnt Offering, made a conscious decision to break the streak of numbered releases. That record was a divergence in more ways than one, taking the Budos signature, horn-heavy afro-soul sound and layering it with an increased presence of guitars that seemed inspired by early heavy metal. Listening to "Old Engine Oil," it's clear that influence has stuck around on V, which the band describes as the best of both worlds. (Jim Vorel, Paste Magazine)

"On Burnt Offering, we really were trying to push the envelope in terms of getting a much more raw and rock sort of sound," he said in the band's announcement press release. "I think for this one we were able to refine that a little bit. We staked our ground in terms of making a rock record, and so with the fifth album, we knew how to do that and we were able to refine that and dial it back a little bit in some ways to make this album a really good combination of that rock sound of Burnt Offering but with the contours of Budos albums I through III as part of it." (Tom Brenneck, Budos Band guitarist)