Fox in a Mini Skirt / Bad Luck

It's time for another 7" foot-stomping bonanza from Rocafort Records, digging deep into the rich New Orleans repertoire of the Carbo family. All brothers were heavily involved in the 60s Crescent City funk scene, so tight and 'on the one' that it's easy to understand why Hank suspects a bit of plagiarism from the Godfather himself.

"Fox in a mini skirt" is slice of soulful cheek and attitude, based on foxy beauty who once slunk across the dance floor at one of his gigs. Popular on the Northern Soul scene, it matches vocal urgency with a driving beat fuelled along by manic drums, guitars and horns. The irresistible background hey hey hey's and funky funky broadway's make it instantly memorable and immediately danceable.

"Bad Luck" (not to be confused with the Harold Melvin & the Blue Notes classic) is a slower paced funk stinker, screaming out JB horns and wah wah guitars à la 'Ain't it funky now'. In keeping with the depth of New Orleans songwriting, the lyrics are worth a listen and reveal a heartfelt plea "If it weren't for bad luck, I wouldn't have no luck at all". In fact, the whole song is based on a spell of unfortunate circumstances involving Hank's sideswiped new car and an erroneous warrant for his arrest. However, the only real crime committed here is that at 2'22", this track is shockingly over too soon!