Even in New Orleans, you don’t usually find funk bands as brassy, brass bands as funky, or brass-funk bands as jazzy as Big Sam’s Funky Nation. But above all else on this eleven-track debut, the party is king on Take Me Back — as evidenced by titles like “Get Down,” “Funky People,” “Shake Yo Thang,” and, um, “Party.” There are no big insights laying for us deep in these grooves, despite a general aura of family positivity that stretches from Sly to Ozomatli and back again. As impressive as the sound is, there are times when it seems like trombonist/leader (and Dirty Dozen vet) Sammie Williams is merely casting bait to get you hooked on the band’s live shows. Even more so than on last year’s debut, Birth Of A Nation, there’s little room for anything but a bit of call-and-response in between solos.

With a rotating group of musicians this tight, though, who’s complaining? Williams has no trouble staying within tradition during these very modern workouts, while the guitarist nasty squalls serve as the Nation’s secret jam-band WMD. “Funkin’ @ The Butt” hews close to acid-jazz, the short “Get Down” is almost punky, and the closing “Thank U + Farewell” edges into psychedelic soul, but these are merely the outer parameters of Williams’ vision. For most of Take Me Back, he and his extended musical relatives just want to bring the party into your home.