The much lauded US funk sextet Lettuce have been serving up their brand of fresh, additive-free funk on a silver platter for years, delighting fans of all things groovy, soulful and fresh. They recently completed the European leg of a world tour in London with four sold out shows at Ronnie Scott’s, pre-promoting their highly anticipated new album, ‘Cook’, which is out today (3rd December).
Not just a nod to Lettuce’s musical heat, ‘Cook' is an invitation to join the band at the table, where funk, soul, jazz, rock and hip-hop come together in one rich and flavoursome dish. The album offers a menu of delights that marks a group exploring new sonic territory, further expanding its ever-widening musical palette following tours with rap icon GZA (Wu-Tang Clan) and reggae artist Ziggy Marley, plus the live album and concert film ‘Lettuce with the Colorado Symphony’ issued in early 2025.
‘Cook’ also manages to deliver a generous dose of Lettuce’s patented funk, paying tribute to James Brown and his J.B.'s and honouring mentors like Maceo Parker and Tower of Power. For these six lifelong partners, their new songs feel like a nourishing meal that entices all of the senses. “This record is a little more three-dimensional than our past albums,” explains drummer Adam Deitch. “It shows a lot more sides to the band, exploring further depths of production and arrangements.”
‘Cook’ includes the singles ‘Gold Tooth’ VIDEO, ‘Rising To The Top’ (a cover of the Keni Burke classic) VIDEO. ‘Breathe’ VIDEO and 'Keep On’ (co-written with Tower of Power leader Emilio Castillo) VIDEO, offering several flavours of both urgent and blissed-out funk, soul and hip-hop found on the album.
LETTUCE : Gold Tooth | Rising To The Top | Breathe | Keep On videos
Lettuce have recently announced the launch of Lettuce Red Crush and Orange Crush wine brands in collaboration with Aquila Cellars, along with a recipe book featuring pairings to be included with the vinyl LP edition of the album but also available in digital form. “Music and food are very related,” muses Deitch. “Use the wrong ingredients in either and you can ruin the sound and the meal.”
The band have also begun a partnership with the non-profit organisation Music Is A Language INFO to launch a transformative new scholarship in their name. The initiative will fund a full-tuition scholarship for a deserving student to attend the prestigious Berklee College Of Music INFO, where the roots of Lettuce first took hold. The campaign to raise funds for the scholarship will begin in earnest at a series of intimate shows hosted by the band in Denver, Colorado from 5th-7th December.