A Night in the Park – DJ John Kelley

This is one of those albums that is kind of hard to review simply because there's not much you can say about it. DJ John Kelley is a well-established figure on the West Coast breaks scene, and what he serves up here with his first artist album is a solid 46 minutes of pure funk pleasure, all of it instrumental and all of it written by Kelley in collaboration with a variety of friends and colleagues, mainly Brian Saitzyk and Brian Golub. Kelley knows how to mix up the flavors and textures without sacrificing his groove, and he also knows when it's time to let a fleet-fingered turntablist come in and spice things up, which Spider does brilliantly on both "Dye Sky Drive" and the heavyweight "Funkasaurus." There's also a nice cameo by rapper Dynamite Jive on "Eighty Eight." Those who don't have a natural affection for breakbeats may find things getting a bit tired by the end, but they're probably off dancing somewhere else anyway. Highly recommended. ~ Rick Anderson, All Music Guide