Album of the Week, November 15, 2025
I hinted at it when we wrote about Delvon Lamarr’s first album, Close But No Cigar: the drummer seat in the Delvon Lamarr Organ Trio (or DLO3 for short) is rarely filled by the same musician for long. After recording the demos that became the first album and the game-changing Live at KEXP, founding DLO3 drummer David McGraw left the group to focus on his other soul-funk group, The True Loves. In his place: soul drummer Grant Schroff, who joined specifically as an interim drummer for a tour of Europe and recorded the second album with them. What’s remarkable is how little the change in one-third of the band ended up affecting the sound on their third official release, which remains a highly skillful blend of jazz and party-time soul even as the focus shifts to more originals and fewer covers.
“Hole in One” starts off in a 1969-1970 James Brown mood thanks to James’ fierce rhythm guitar part and a virtuosic Bootsy-style bass line courtesy of Lamarr’s left foot. The band lets the groove steep for a few reps before Lamarr takes a high-octave solo, wailing over a sustained tonic note in the left hand all while keeping that bass line going. A sudden dip into the relative minor key through the bridge is brief but also reminiscent of the Godfather of Soul.
“Call Your Mom,” co-written by Lamarr and guitarist Jimmy James, keeps the funk going. Here James’ guitar states the melody with an impeccable late-1960s—early–1970s soul vibe. “Girly Face” also has a sixties soul groove courtesy of Schroff and James and seamless transitions between organ and guitar solos. It feels like it could have been a sixties pop song; there’s moderate improvisation throughout but this one is mostly about the groove. Mind the chair dancing; it’s inevitable.
“From the Streets” has a vaguely 1990s hip-hop sound to it, thanks to the beat and the repetitive bass line. We get to hear that boom-bap beat by itself as a completely in-the-pocket drum break. There’s not much organ to this one other than the bass line; it’s really more of a soul instrumental, but a head-nodding one. “Fo Sho” brings in the whole sound of the band to close the first half with a Booker T vibe. Jimmy James slips the leash for a bit with a psychedelic guitar solo that spurs Delvon to similar heights as the two trade eights. The band builds to a mighty mighty climax before cutting out in a moment of suspense.
“Aces” keeps the funk party going, with another tune that gives us a drum break to soak in Schroff’s technique. There’s a little more bounce in Schroff’s style than McGraw’s; both men are tight on the drum kit and hold their corners down well, but there’s a touch more dynamic range in Schroff’s playing. Jimmy James takes a solo that comes in over the treetops, guns blazing, before the band comes back down into the groove.
At this point in the playback when I played this record for my family, it was my daughter who said, “Wait a minute! I know that song” at the same time my wife laughed with recognition. “Careless Whisper” is a true intergenerational classic even if you hear it without the iconic saxophone part (here played by James instead). It’s also another track that is more soul instrumental than jazz, but there’s some subtle improvisation on the verses that takes the melody to different places, keeping the fires hot underneath the simmering tune.
“Right Place, Right Time” is co-written by Seattle guitarist Ben Bloom, who sits in for Jimmy James on this number. Starting off with a bit of studio chatter, this one wakes up with a more nimble, less psychedelic-soul sound and a rhythm complex enough that for a minute you wonder if they’re playing in six. In this combo and guitar-forward arrangement, you can hear the rock-solid bassline and soulful chords that Lamarr leverages to keep the groove moving forward even with a completely different set of musicians. “I Don’t Know” closes us out with a funky blues and a tight interplay between Lamarr and Jimmy James, who demonstrates the relaxed but psychically close connection between himself and the organist that is the hallmark of the band.
This record shows off the band’s ability to keep rolling even as personnel changes and the repertoire becomes more funk-forward. It also brings Lamarr and James’ writing to the front, giving a nice slate of modern organ jazz/funk/soul to add to our collection of classics. Next week we’ll hear one more from the DLO3, bringing a few more changes along the way.
You can listen to this week’s album here:
BONUS: Here’s this incarnation of the DLO3 doing a live version of “Fo Sho” on Adult Swim, of all places.