The arrival of a funky Hammond Organ-based trio is always a cause for celebration.  Colemine Records recently brought together a powerhouse in that field, with their sessions being released as Parlor Greens’ new album, In Green/We Dream. In addition to some incredibly lithe, funky, psychedelic callbacks to the R&B of days gone by, it contains a new version of “My Sweet Lord.”

The band, consisting of Jimmy James on guitars, Adam Scone on Hammond B3, and bluesman Tim Carman on drums, have said that their touchstone was not the original version, but a more obscure one by Leonard Caston. The God Squad’s (featuring Caston) devotional album Jesus Christ Greatest Hits does indeed feature an organ, but it stops short of something that Parlor Greens wants to achieve, as it had some vocal harmonies.  They long for the day when Grant Green produced fully instrumental versions of hits. However, in doing so they face a huge challenge. Religious or spiritual songs often aim to provide certainty via the words in their lyrics. If someone is inspired to write one it is because they Believe with a capital B, and they want others to, and the lyrics reflect this.
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