Crooklyn Vol. I Soundtrack CD

Producers: A Tribe Called Quest; Al Bell; Sly Stone; Curtis Mayfield; The Poindexter Brothers; Poncho Cristal; Eugene Record; Thom Bell; Wardell Quezerque; Stan Vincent; James Brown; David Rubinson; Narada Michael Walden.
Engineer: David "Frazeman" Frazer (track 14).
Personnel: Marc Russo (saxophone); Jerry Hey (flugelhorn); Louis Biancaniello (Wurlitzer organ, keyboards); Narada Michael Walden (marimba, drums, percussion); Myron Dove (electric bass); Tony Lindsay (background vocals).
Audio Mixer: David Frazer.
Photographer: David Lee .
Arrangers: Al Bell; Narada Michael Walden.
Produced by A Tribe Called Quest, the soundtrack for Spike Lee's 1994 ode to the borough of his childhood is one of the most evocative in existence (and one of the more delightfully diverse soul collections to boot). The album is bookended by excellent and incongruent original tracks, opening with the title track, a stark rap single by the Crooklyn Dodgers, a supergroup consisting of Special Ed, Masta Ace, and Buckshot, closing on the jazzy-reflective pop R&B of "People Make the World Go Around." In between lie classics from artists ranging from Curtis Mayfield to the Staple Singers to the Chambers Brothers, the mix telling a story of its own of struggle and revolution, hope and survival. It's one of the rare soundtracks that stands on its own. While it's a perfect bookend to Lee's provocative film, the soundtrack's travelogue through the 1970s is a powerful (and downright enjoyable) statement in its own right, whether or not one has seen the film. The album was popular enough to inspire a second volume of classic tracks.
Spike Lee's Crooklyn is a touching coming-of-age film, set in the early '70s. Appropriately, the soundtrack is crammed with an abundance of smooth soul and gritty R&B from the era. ~ Stephen Thomas ErlewineEntertainment Weekly (6/14/94, p.65) - "...the disc demonstrates the enduring relevance of blaxploitation funk..." - Rating: A-